Chapter Sixty-One: Returning Home

Layer upon layer of seals were nested within Xu Zhong’s niwan, imprisoning the Demon Aspect of Heaven’s Way.

Xu Zhong felt heavy-headed and light-footed, collapsing to the ground.

His niwan was suffused with too many seals, forged by the combined efforts of the most eminent figures from every clan.

Before him, over a hundred divine beings of renowned cultivation each laid a seal upon the Demon Aspect, making his niwan exceptionally burdensome.

Even a faint glimmer from these seals nearly drove his niwan to collapse.

The God of White Ze intervened.

He projected the Diagram of White Ze into Xu Zhong’s niwan.

Within, ethereal divine pillars appeared, upon which divine beasts and birds perched, transforming Xu Zhong’s niwan into a vast palace, with myriad heavenly beasts guarding his threefold soul of heaven, earth, and man.

“Hm?” The God of White Ze was somewhat surprised.

The Diagram in his hand revealed Xu Zhong’s past, present, and future.

“Your fate has been altered?”

“It’s the art of shifting stars and moving constellations…” Xu Zhong started to speak, but was interrupted.

“It’s not shifting stars and moving constellations, but grafting flowers onto wood!” declared the God of White Ze.

Xu Zhong’s eyelids twitched.

“Someone has transplanted another’s fate onto yours,” the God of White Ze withdrew his diagram.

The Primordial Sacred Emperor smiled, “No wonder a mere Keeper-One cultivator like you has had such extraordinary experiences.”

Xu Zhong reflected on all he had encountered. His fate as a Keeper-One couldn’t possibly bear such burdens, even if someone had indeed altered it for him.

Si Tu Nan!

The name almost escaped his lips.

Yes. This art of grafting explained everything.

“No wonder, after I entered the Dragon Capital Cave, he sent only one message and disappeared,” Xu Zhong mused. “I thought he sensed a great calamity and hid, too busy to find me. Perhaps he never intended to seek me out at all, but only wanted a substitute, to graft his fate and leave it behind in the Dragon Capital Cave.”

“This means…” Xu Zhong gave a bitter smile. From the start, Si Tu Nan had ill intentions: “Everything I have experienced should have belonged to someone else.”

“How fascinating,” the God of Golden Crow glanced at Xu Zhong. “The one who grafted his fate onto you probably couldn’t bear it himself.”

“But you have managed, with only Keeper-One cultivation,” the God of Golden Crow marveled at Xu Zhong.

Thunder rumbled!

Suddenly, layered thunderclouds appeared on the horizon.

Thirty-three tiers of storm clouds filled the sky, lightning pouring down like torrential rain, engulfing the land.

“Damn it! Those decrepit old gods are using our sealing of Heaven’s Way to escape the Chaos Sea and stir up trouble. Damn them!” The God of Golden Crow cursed.

As lightning on the Chaos Sea was torn apart, Xu Zhong glimpsed colossal divine figures crossing the waves, attempting to descend upon the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.

“If you ask me, we should have killed them outright, not just exiled them…”

The God of Golden Crow transformed into a blazing sun and vanished, followed in turn by other deities.

“You must reclaim your own fate,” the God of White Ze advised before departing. “Otherwise, such things will happen again and again, and you’ll be dragged to your death by a fate you cannot bear.”

Xu Zhong agreed deeply, yet had no idea how to begin.

“Kill him, and his fate will naturally disappear,” the Primordial Sacred Emperor considered, then produced a tome. “This is the Seven-Arrows Book of Nails—a token of gratitude for your help in raising me.”

“Cultivate the spells recorded here, use intentionless against intentional, and even a deity can be nailed by you.”

Xu Zhong stroked the cover of the Seven-Arrows Book, which felt eerily like human skin.

“I’ll send you back to Yu Kingdom!” Jiang Xuan spoke.

“I’ll handle this!” The Primordial Sacred Emperor interrupted, then blew gently upon Xu Zhong.

That breath sent Xu Zhong soaring ten thousand miles. When he finally steadied himself, he found himself above the Boundless Sea.

The Boundless Sea surged with waves, a thousand sails competing.

Somehow, a port had been built here.

Though newly constructed, countless merchant ships docked, departed, and arrived. Among those boarding and disembarking, cultivators mingled with spirits.

The port bustled with shops, houses, and vendors loudly hawking their wares. Behind lay a newly built city, flags fluttering, a colossal “Yu” character roaring like an ink dragon in the wind. Along the city’s edge, orderly troops patrolled, maintaining order—a scene vibrant and busy.

The city was named Pingbo.

Just then, a grand vessel caught Xu Zhong’s attention.

The ship was enormous, forged from unknown materials. Even from afar, it radiated an oppressive aura, seeming more a primordial sea beast than a mere ship.

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Xu Zhong turned to find the Sage Lord of Canglang behind him, pointing to the great ship. “His Majesty has instructed me to escort you back to Yu Kingdom—how fortuitous!”

“This is the last passenger ship to Yu Kingdom,” the Sage Lord conjured a ticket and handed it to Xu Zhong. “Miss this voyage, and you’ll have to wait another seven days.”

“How much time has passed since I entered Jade Capital?” Xu Zhong was incredulous.

“Three years!” the Sage Lord replied slowly. “Much has happened, but Yu Kingdom has changed little, save for gaining a new neighbor. You’ll see for yourself when you arrive.”

“Three years?” Xu Zhong was shocked; his time in Tianyong City had felt like only three days.

A shrill, beast-like cry sounded from the great ship, drawing all eyes.

On board, preparations to raise anchor had begun.

“The ship is departing!” The Sage Lord patted Xu Zhong’s shoulder and led him aboard.

“Sage Lord?” Xu Zhong wanted to ask more, but found himself alone.

He stood on the deck amid scattered soldiers, sailors, and expert cultivators. Divine lights streamed from the city to the vessel, and his ticket glowed gold, letting him pass through the ship’s protective radiance.

Mounted along the hull were massive ballistae, fitted with bolts forged from dragonbone and divine minerals—arrows that seemed capable of felling stars.

The ship set sail.

Waves rose a thousand feet high, crashing against the vessel and scattering into sprays, held back by protective divine light.

The ship moved swiftly—crossing five or six thousand miles of sea in just three hours.

For a Keeper-One cultivator like him, such a journey would have taken three or four days.

“Are you heading to the New Land as well?” A stranger appeared beside Xu Zhong.

“New Land? You mean Yu Kingdom?” Xu Zhong examined the man, who was handsome, dressed in azure and white with embroidered clouds and mountains. “I’m not a cultivator from the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.”

“Oh, so you’re from the New Land! I’m Li Feiyu—may I ask your name?” Li Feiyu looked at Xu Zhong as if he’d discovered a new continent, his words drawing attention from other cultivators.

Keeper-One cultivators strode over openly, while those above Keeper-One glanced and listened from afar.

“I am Tang Yuan!”

“Yun Yong!”

“Fang Yuan!”

…

Xu Zhong cupped his hands to the group. “I am Xu Zhong. Greetings to you all.”

He shifted the topic. “You must want to know about the situation in Yu Kingdom?”

Li Feiyu and his companions admitted, a bit embarrassed but forthright: “The New Land appeared three years ago, said to be the manifestation of the Thunder Ancestral Cave. Some ancient treasures thought lost since antiquity emerged, causing a stir when it first appeared.”

Tang Yuan picked up the thread: “It was more than a stir—it was the innate divine clans provoking us, unwilling to let humanity occupy the New Land.”

“Thanks to the Sage Lord of Canglang and Crown Prince Yang, who used thunderous methods to suppress the divine clans, the port and city could be established on the Boundless Sea.”

“Hopefully, once the New Land stabilizes, Pingbo City won’t restrict movement between the two sides.”

Tang Yuan laughed self-deprecatingly: “To enter the New Land, people from the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands have nearly gone mad. We queued for a year to get a ticket.”

Xu Zhong smiled, pondering their words, then asked, “Are our conflicts with the divine clans really that great?”

“It depends on the era!” Fang Yuan continued.

“If it was the last Divine War, we fought on sight.”

“If it was the one before that, it was a struggle to the death.”

“As for the war before that, humanity hadn’t yet risen.”

“Divine War?” Xu Zhong was puzzled.

“It’s the wars among the innate divine clans. Only those wars where gods die are called Divine Wars,” Li Feiyu explained. “The Nine Heavens and Ten Lands have seen five Divine Wars, but the most devastating was the second.”

“Our world is named Nine Heavens and Ten Lands because the second Divine War shattered it—heaven tilted, earth collapsed, forming the Chaos Sea.”

“And the Thunder Ancestor perished in that very war.”

Fang Yuan, sweating with impatience, finally found his chance: “Unfortunately, during the second Divine War, humanity was still ignorant, without writing or records. Only traces remain in ancient ruins.”

When Fang Yuan finished, everyone looked to Xu Zhong.

He coughed and began introducing Yu Kingdom to Li Feiyu and the others.

“Within Yu Kingdom, there are five mountains, eight rivers, and eighteen prefectures, governed by imperial authority. Of these, Yangshuo is largest, Pingjian smallest, and the kingdom’s heart is called Nine Cities.”

“Nine Cities—is it because there are nine cities?” Fang Yuan asked.

“Not quite,” Xu Zhong replied. “It’s because beneath the Nine Cities lie Yu Kingdom’s nine dragon veins, which guard the imperial city. Thus, it’s called Nine Cities.”

This was rumored in books, but given Jiang Xuan’s penchant for collecting dragon veins, it was likely true.

“That’s the state of the mortal realm,” Xu Zhong continued. “As for us cultivators, we’re regulated by the Dao Alliance. Before Yu Kingdom manifested, the Dao Alliance governed the living, and Fengdu oversaw the dead.”

“The mortal realm isn’t solely ruled by the Dao Alliance. Deities also walk among mortals, receiving incense offerings and providing protection.”

Xu Zhong knew little beyond this about Yu Kingdom.

“The five mountains and eight rivers are said to be the Thunder Ancestor’s five stars and eight extraordinary meridians. If you seek fortune, you might visit them.”

This was not mere rumor; Xu Zhong had witnessed it himself.

“By the way, I heard there’s an ancient Yue Kingdom besides Yu Kingdom. Do you know anything about it?”