Chapter Forty-Six: Journey to the Mortal Realm

“Is anyone down there? Weiyu! Weiyu, where are you?”

No matter how desperately she shouted toward the depths below, not a sound came in reply.

Watching helplessly as Weiyu was seized by the giant serpent, Hua Sheng was frantic with anxiety, regretting bitterly her decision to bring out the Time Bodhi and thereby inviting this catastrophe.

Master Daoling withdrew his spiritual power, his eyes shooting out twin beams of golden light that swept across the mountaintop, yet still yielded no clue.

He then descended to the ground, pointing his finger to the four corners—east, south, west, and north—of the summit. In response, a translucent barrier slowly rose around them. He turned his palm upward, and in an instant, countless tiny points of light emerged from the earth.

Hua Sheng found these points of light oddly familiar. Weren’t these the same as those conjured by Masters Yuran, Jueguang, and Huolei to reconstruct a scene at the formation array?

What originally required the combined efforts of two guardians and three immortal masters, the formation to recreate past events, Master Daoling accomplished singlehandedly, bringing forth the scene just moments before.

He glanced around at the four directions, then closed his fist. Instantly, the myriad points of light burst into color, assembling into a tableau of the incident’s prelude. There, the lakeside platform was filled to capacity, and then the Time Bodhi soared from beneath Hua Sheng’s robe.

Daoling froze the scene and turned to Hua Sheng. “It was you?”

Hua Sheng, heart pounding, nodded. The Junior Master beside her interjected, “The fault is ours, Master. We fetched the Time Bodhi from Panxian Cave to help him recover his memories.”

“We? Was there someone else with you?”

“Weiyu…” Hua Sheng had barely spoken the name before the Junior Master shot her a glare, as though blaming her for dragging Weiyu into this.

“That was the female registrar among the guardians, was it not?” Daoling said. “Were you unaware the Time Bodhi’s resting place was forbidden?”

Hua Sheng immediately fell to her knees, hands clasped in supplication. “It was all my fault, Master! They only went for my sake!”

“Today’s enemy came prepared. I fear you’ve been under surveillance for a while.” Daoling waved his hand dismissively.

He turned again to the reconstructed scene, restoring it further. Now the shadowy figure enshrouded in black smoke appeared. Strangely, this figure seemed conjured from nothing, and even in the replayed scene remained a pitch-black blot. Daoling magnified the image, discovering the shadow was not a person in disguise—no matter how he enlarged it, it remained an unfathomable darkness, as if a chunk had been cut from the world.

The Junior Master scrutinized the shadow. “This doesn’t seem an illusion, nor is it human, nor object, nor immortal. What could it possibly be?”

“You sense it too—neither human, nor thing, nor immortal?” Daoling agreed. “Or perhaps, it’s something concealed beneath another form.”

“Why resurrect the Xuanwu Serpent?” Hua Sheng asked.

Daoling fast-forwarded the scene to the instant the giant snake vanished. He frowned. “Trouble. This appears to be a Lingxiao-level shrinking spell, combined with two successive shadow-shifting techniques. The first leap entered the Primordial Path, the second passed straight through it.”

“Passed through the Primordial Path?” Hua Sheng could scarcely believe it.

“Indeed. To emerge from the Primordial Path is to enter the human world.”

Unimaginable!

If such a colossal Xuanwu Serpent appeared suddenly in a city, what hellish carnage would ensue?

“If the serpent strikes in a densely populated metropolis, the destruction would be unthinkable!” The Junior Master’s concern for the mortal world was plain.

“How could mortals hope to resist?” Hua Sheng said.

Daoling replied, “Calamity would befall the people.”

Hua Sheng, recalling the city where she’d grown up, now possibly on the verge of annihilation, felt her mind churn with dread.

“How can we allow them to run rampant in the mortal realm? We must stop them!”

Daoling fixed his gaze on the agitated Hua Sheng. “You must not act rashly! Saint Pingning has abstained from mortal affairs for a thousand years.”

“But if we stand by and let the serpent wreak havoc, millions may perish!”

“For centuries, countless millions have died in mortal wars. Saint Pingning is long divorced from such matters. The Dao abides in non-action; there’s nothing more to discuss,” Daoling said, his tone final.

The Junior Master signaled Hua Sheng to let the matter rest for now.

Just then, Daoling approached the shadow in the reconstructed scene, intent on touching its image. Suddenly, a current of electricity surged through the matrix of light, the points of light rearranging themselves into rings and rods, then scattering like lost souls and vanishing.

“What happened?” the Junior Master asked, bewildered.

Daoling stared at the fallen points of light, deep in thought.

“This being is from beyond the three races—human, spirit, and immortal.”

The Junior Master’s face grew grave. “Such power—not of the immortals?”

“Not of the immortals. Nor does it leave any trace or hint of life—it’s neither mortal nor spirit. There are only two characters within that shadow.”

“What characters?” the Junior Master pressed.

“Mingyou.”

Daoling shook his head, raising his palm to attempt the reconstruction once more, but the points of light had all vanished. The entire scene had been obliterated by a mysterious force—there was nothing left to recover.

“Mingyou?” The name made Hua Sheng’s face pale.

“Have you heard of it?”

Hua Sheng replied, “During the Tianmu trial, the immortal array was tainted. We encountered a hag-like monster muttering that very word—Mingyou.”

“I’ve heard the immortal masters mention this,” Daoling said. “I hoped to glean clues to the intruder from the Xuanwu array, but to think this Mingyou would appear here—it seems the one who invaded the array was none other than Mingyou. But to what end?”

Recalling the earlier scene, the Junior Master asked, “Master, why did all spells, weapons, even the masters’ own hands vanish when they touched this Mingyou? Does it possess some spell to devour every weapon it encounters?”

Daoling replied, “I fear Mingyou carries a magical treasure.”

“A magical treasure?” The three of them frowned.

“The Jupiter Veil,” Daoling said. “No one has ever seen it; its method of creation is lost to the world. Some even doubt it truly exists.”

“What can this Jupiter Veil do?” Hua Sheng asked.

“It is said to be a sheer fabric woven from the substance of time itself—utterly light, colorless, weightless. When worn, it creates a vortex of time between the wearer and the world, hiding eons within. Anything seeking to pierce the veil must endure the endless erosion of time, and finally be obliterated.”

The Junior Master understood at once. “So that’s why the arms and weapons disappeared—they were consumed by infinite time itself.”

Time forges things that seem unbreakable and invincible, yet all such things are eventually carried away by its current. Nothing can truly withstand the test of time; all is destined to return to nothingness. Most people and events are, before time, as fragile as glass.

“If the enemy wields such a peerless treasure, how can we possibly prevail?” Hua Sheng said. “Are they invincible?”

The Junior Master had his own thoughts. “Possessing the Jupiter Veil alone only makes one invulnerable. But today, this enemy came to the Institute, awakened the Xuanwu Serpent, and seized the Guardian—surely there’s a deeper plot.”

“As for their true purpose or identity, we can only guess,” Daoling said, surveying the ruined mountaintop. “Saint Pingning may soon face, since its founding, an enemy the likes of which it has never known.”

Meanwhile, the foot of the mountain was a cacophony of voices, brimming with disciples and immortal masters—tens of thousands, discussing the events they had just witnessed.

Hua Sheng hurried down the mountain, asking the Junior Master, “Was that Mingyou a demon? Where there are immortals, there must be monsters, yes?”

“There haven’t been demons for a long time,” the Junior Master replied, surprising Hua Sheng.

“How can that be? If there are immortals, how can there be no demons?”

“In ancient times, as you say, there were monsters. But times change. In the past, tigers descended mountains to prey on people. Now, outside of a zoo, when did you last see a tiger on the road?”

“So where did the monsters go?”

“Most were wiped out by the immortals in the last thousand years. Any demon appearing now would be detected at once and destroyed within a day. The handful that survived turned to the path of virtue, becoming spirits. Many generations have passed, and they’ve lost their former natures.”

“Domesticated, like cats and dogs that have lost their wildness?” Hua Sheng asked.

“Not entirely accurate, but whether here in Saint Pingning or in the mortal world, you won’t find the monsters you imagine. So, though Mingyou is powerful, it isn’t a demon. That’s why Master Daoling said it’s an enemy never before seen.”

Having descended the mountain, Hua Sheng hurried to her quarters and began packing.

“What are you doing?” the Junior Master asked.

“I’m going to the mortal world. Weiyu was taken by Mingyou and the serpent. I have to save her!”

“Alone? You don’t even have a horse.”

“Are you looking down on me?” Hua Sheng snapped.

“Did you not see how Master Daoling fared against Mingyou? Now there’s also an ancient divine beast—the Xuanwu Serpent. Even the immortal masters couldn’t stand against them. If they reach the mortal world, it’ll be an inferno!”

“That’s all the more reason to go. I still have friends there!” Hua Sheng conjured a large suitcase on the bed, stuffing clothes in haphazardly. “I can use immortal arts now—not very strong, perhaps, but I can at least help some ordinary people! The lives of mortals may be nothing to Saint Pingning, but I care about that place. I can’t watch them die for nothing. And Weiyu is there too!”

“Either Mingyou or the Xuanwu Serpent could kill you in a heartbeat! You’ve already died once—if it happens again, no one can save you.”

“That’s exactly why I’m not afraid!”

The Junior Master pressed a hand against her suitcase.

Hua Sheng looked up at him. “Don’t try to stop me!”

“I’ll go with you.”

She stared, stunned.

“I can’t let Weiyu come to harm, and I won’t watch you die in vain either.”

“So little faith in me? You think I’m going to die for nothing?”

“You can barely control a simple spell; you’d be cannon fodder at best. And without me, you can’t even leave Saint Pingning. Saving Weiyu is just a fantasy.”

Hua Sheng had no argument. She realized she was all passion and no plan—without help, she’d never manage it. She stopped packing.

“What if the Institute punishes you for coming with me?”

“We already trespassed in the forbidden grounds. Now that it’s all out, best to escape before they issue the punishment.”

Though she knew he was joking, Hua Sheng couldn’t muster a smile. “Thank you…”

“Ah, I’m mostly in it for the chance to play the hero. Truthfully, you’re just flesh and bone—if you die, the world won’t miss you.”

“You really don’t know how to talk!” Despite her words, a warmth bloomed in her heart.

“We’ll need to find the Primordial Path that leads to the mortal world.”

“Agreed. But where is it?”

“Enough talk. Pack up and let’s go!”