Nightfall

Long Qing awoke and was greeted by a thick fog, rotten leaves carpeting the ground and endless pain in his entire body.

He could not find any reasonable answer for surviving a fall from the cliffs. Perhaps the trees above the mist had cushioned his fall, or maybe the thick yet soft carpet of rotten leaves and mud beneath him.

Long Qing felt that his survival was because of the will of Haotian, just like what he had said in his conversation with the uncle in the Zhishou Abbey. If he was really the legendary person in the prophecy who carried the will of Haotian, Haotian would not allow him to die so easily.

He had not died, and this fact gave him confidence, but at the same time it brought loss and fear. He did not know what to do with his life now.

Long Qing had broken many bones despite the softness of the mud and rotten leaves. However, what truly pained him was not his physical injuries, but the two powerful auras in his body that were in constant conflict.

The Halfman Taoist’s aura in the Tianqi state was set free from its mental restraint when he fell unconscious. It roared and burst out from the senses in various parts of his body. It took the form of several sharp, steel knives and scraped on his flesh and bones, attempting to shake his Snow Mountain and Ocean of Qi into rubble.

The aura from the Heavenly Power Pill was constantly repairing the cracks in his bones and tears in his muscles. They invigorated his vitality and repaired his Snow Mountain and Ocean of Qi from the rubble according to the last remaining shadow.

This process of continuous destruction and restoration was extremely painful.

It didn’t hurt when he was in a coma, but after he regained consciousness, he felt the pain everywhere. Long Qing’s face paled and a miserable groan emerged from his blood-soaked teeth, echoing into the quiet valley.

Long Qing almost fainted again shortly afterwards due to the immense pain. However, he knew how important it was to stay awake right now. If he remained unconscious in the poisonous and dangerous forest, he would not stay alive for too long. He would be abandoned at that time, no matter how benevolent Haotian was.

With a howl of pain again, he slammed into a rock beside him, breaking a rib. The fresh pain overwhelmed the other pain he felt. Just before he fell into unconsciousness, he fought for a moment of clarity. He regained his wits, sat in a lotus position and began to meditate and heal himself.

Time passed slowly.

Long Qing’s face was pale. The blood on his taoist robe had long congealed. He sat in the rotten leaves and did not move. His chest did not rise or fall, as if he were not breathing. He looked like a corpse that had been dead for quite some time. Meanwhile, the two auras within his body were still fighting.

The power of the Heavenly Power Pill and the Tianqi state aura of the Halfman Taoist cleared out the original aura in his body. He became an empty bucket for the poisonous air around him to enter, changing every particle of his body.

Even after what felt like a long time, the light in the dense forest beneath the valley was still as dim as it would be at twilight. Long Qing’s body trembled slightly and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

What was incredulous was that the blood was black!

It might be due to the poisonous mist in the area, or some other reason. The black blood looked like ink or dirty water in the mud.

Several days earlier, a black peach blossom had grown on the boat on the southern sea. Long Qing had plucked the black peach blossom and put it on his chest. He had not taken it off after that.

The black peach blossom on his chest was tinged with blood as he fled the cliff and Zhishou Abbey. It was tinged black and red, making it look horrifyingly gorgeous. It was painted over with black blood again and now it glistened. Then, the light faded as quickly as it came, leaving behind a pure black, the color of cold darkness.

Sitting amongst the rotten leaves, Long Qing seemed to have become a black peach blossom himself. His body temperature was frigid and the cold spread to the air surrounding him. He seemed to become a part of the mist and the rotten leaves.

A spotted, poisonous snake wandered amongst the leaves. It circled Long Qing, but did not seem to sense anything strange before leaving.

A mountain monkey with a ghostly face also appeared. It chattered in the forest as it dangled back and forth. It squatted beside Long Qing and scratched its head, behaving cheekily. It called for its mates and then left, bored.

Withered leaves fell.

With a gust of wind, the withered leaves flew again.

Long Qing remained seated, not knowing anything, not sensing anything. He had blended into the surroundings.

Not even the sharp perceptive senses of a cultivator would be able to separate him from the nature around him.

This was the most obvious sign that Long Qing had entered the Knowing destiny State.

He remained like this for quite some time.

Eventually, Long Qing opened his eyes and regained consciousness.

His eyes no longer held gratefulness for having survived, and there was no sense of uncertainty about the future, no pain, but calm and indifference. He felt at peace with himself and the world.

He stood up.

The black peach blossom on his chest grew darker, as if it was about to drip with darkness.

Then, a peach blossom formed by pure aura bloomed behind Long Qing.

It was his peach blossoms in the year of his birth.

It was also black.

Just in the moment of the blooming of this black peach blossom, the mist in the dense forest was shrouded in an atmosphere of silence.

The colorful snake that was resting under rotten leaves stiffened and suddenly died. The monkey with a ghostly face screamed in horror and fled further away.

In the pursuit of the army of South Jin Kingdom, especially with the joining in of the Divine Hall’s Judicial Department, only a dozen or so remained from those who fled. Only five of the cavalry commanders were still alive.

These people who were once honored in the West-Hill Divine Palace had now become sinners. They fled like dogs, living in the forests at the peripheries of the West-Hill Divine Kingdom.

Someone died almost every day and several were abandoned because of their severe injuries. They did not know how long the exile would last. But what made them desperate was that they did not know what was waiting for them in the end. Even if it was only hopelessness, they at least wanted to know where the end was.

They were sinners from the West-Hill Divine Palace. In Haotian’s world, no other country dared to take them in. Only the Tang Empire had the power to, but the Empire would only be willing to chop their heads off.

What would the end of their exile be?

How will they die?

Zi Mo was very thin and tired. There was only numbness in his eyes.

He looked at the wilderness at the foot of the mountain in the twilight. He looked at the land that belonged to the Kingdom of Song. He knew that the Taoist temples there had received their paintings. They would not be able to hide in the civilian world.

He thought about how the beginning of their journey and how he had made a wish to the dark skies silently. He was pained when he murmured, “I will give my life and spirit to Yama for as long as I live. I will not be afraid of the world’s end. But… how arrogant I was. Would Yama care about you and me? Even if you wanted to sacrifice, could you get close enough to such a mighty existence?”

“A guide is required for mortals who wish to approach greatness, and it is a long process.”

A cold voice suddenly rang on the edge of the cliff.

Zi Mo’s expression changed. Ten other fugitives behind him held up the weapons in their hands and looked at the edge of the cliff alertly, ready to attack.

A young man stood on the edge of the cliff, looking in the direction of the setting sun.

He wore a black taoist robe and blocked the setting sun, so the figure looked extremely dark. The cool autumn wind from the wilderness crept along the cliff, flipping up the edges of his robe, which let rays of light pass through from time to time.

The fugitives had all lived in the West-Hill Divine Palace for a long time. They looked at the man on the edge of the cliff and felt as if they were hallucinating. They seemed to be looking at the shadow of Haotian.

Or the shadow of Yama.

After fleeing for days, their nerves were strained to the point where they were about to break. The camping site they had chosen was secluded. However, they did not expect to be discovered by the man who approached them quietly.

To them, someone who could creep up on them silently would definitely be very powerful. He could only be a powerhouse from the West-Hill Divine Palace, if not a master of Haotian Taoism in the Kingdom of Song.

The fugitives had their power taken and could not hope to beat this powerhouse in Haotian Taoism. They were engulfed by hopelessness when they heard the voice.

Despite their despair, they forced themselves to fight. Since they were going to die anyway, then this might be their last battle. They would die valiantly.

However, no one moved.

Because the young man in the black taoist robe standing on the edge of the cliff gave people the feeling that he was unchallengeable.

Also, Zi Mo had suddenly knelt behind the young man, crying bitterly.

Following that, more people recognized the young man, especially the four previous commanders of the cavalryman of Divine Hall. They ran towards the edge of the cliff, shaking, and knelt behind Zi Mo. They cried loudly to the young man’s back like lost sheep who have found their owner.

Commander Zimo looked at the man’s back tearfully. He said in a trembling voice, “My Priest… Everyone said that you had died. But you’re alive… That’s great.”

A commander with a broken arm cried loudly, “My lord… My lord… I knew that you would not abandon us. You’re finally back!”

Long Qing turned around and looked at his former subordinates. He said, “Will you follow me again?”

The cries on the edge of the cliff halted and everyone kowtowed.

Zi Mo raised his head and looked at the scars on Long Qing’s face. Then, he looked at the black peach blossom on Long Qing’s chest. He thought of the rumors and discovered to his shock that not only had the Priest not died, his cultivation state had grown far better than the original!

Then, a gust of cold aura entered the hearts of Zi Mo and the others.

It came from Long Qing.

And from his words.

“I have indeed died, but I do not know if I saw Haotian or Yama when I died. There was a light after I died, and I thought about many things. However, I only understood when I heard what you said, Zi Mo. Perhaps I am not the son of Heaven’s orders.”

Long Qing looked at the skies and said thoughtfully, “Perhaps… I am son of Yama?”