ATEG Chapter 59

He needed to know who the deity that originally inhabited this divine body was, and whether they still… existed.

The dusk was dim and yellow, the setting sun like blood. The vast sun was about to sink, but the next day it would rise again.

Li Chi quietly stroked the qin on the table.

After taking over this divine body, he had simply assumed that the original deity had completely perished. But now it seemed this might not be the case.

There were roughly two possibilities for his compatibility with this body.

Either he had some extremely deep connection and relationship with this body; or… he had already become like Shuoyue, influenced by someone without realizing it, becoming a means and vessel for the deity’s resurrection.

But he remembered that he had transmigrated here, yet he had no memories from before. He didn’t know why he had come here, why he had awakened from this divine body, and couldn’t determine what his original self had been like. He couldn’t be certain whether he had unknowingly become another person.

Others regarded him as an unfathomable deity, but what about himself?

Li Chi was certain that his mindset had changed from when he first transmigrated here, but were these changes because he had naturally adapted to this world? Or were they signs that he was being devoured and altered by the original deity?

He established karmic connections in this world, creating ties with this world while he was still certain he remained truly himself.

Li Chi lowered his eyes to look at the three strings on the qin, his fingertips plucking them.

The sound of the qin echoed leisurely through the courtyard.

These Seven Emotions were the memories he had rebuilt after coming to this world.

These karmic connections were the anchors by which he located himself.

Besides this, there was another matter requiring his attention. The message Chi Zhenzi had sent, besides “Xuanqing Sect,” also contained news that a “great inauspiciousness” would arise in heaven and earth.

This meant that heaven and earth would soon undergo tremendous changes. Whatever this “inauspiciousness” might be, for Li Chi who needed to hide away in seclusion, it was not good news.

Li Chi pressed his brow. Today his heart was already in turmoil, and the consumption of consciousness combined with the unhealed injuries of this body made him feel weary.

The Evening Star had already appeared. Li Chi put away the qin and returned to his room, falling into sleep.

The sun set and moon rose, heaven and earth turned dark.

The deity who had closed his eyes in sleep reopened them, his eyes deep and obscure, a purple-gold hidden scale beneath his left eye flowing with radiance.

Da Xuan rose and stepped into the courtyard. A silver fish’s shadow in the pool swallowed and exhaled moonlight, completely unaware of the deity so close at hand.

The bright moonlight filled the courtyard, casting shadows of buildings, stone tables, plants, fish and insects, yet it could not illuminate Da Xuan’s figure.

Da Xuan raised his head to look at the bright moon hanging high in the sky, his gaze profound and indifferent. After a moment, he coldly withdrew his gaze and stepped out of the Li Manor, stopping beside the massive rock split apart by the old pine.

Feiying’s soul fragment was imprisoned inside. He was now too minuscule, and having lost the support of his evil arts, had already fallen into a state of unknowing unconsciousness.

Da Xuan curved his lips slightly. The karmic connections of heaven and earth were clear before his eyes.

Feiying had already entered the Xuanqing Sect—only then would this soul fragment be useful to him. It was perfect that the soul fragment had lost its memories, but it couldn’t continue in this state of complete unconsciousness.

Da Xuan pointed with one finger.

The soul fragment confined in half the massive rock suddenly awakened. His five senses had been opened, his consciousness reawakened, but he had no memories and could neither speak nor move, only perceiving his surroundings in confusion. Yet when his perception fell upon where the deity stood, he detected nothing at all.

Da Xuan had already withdrawn his gaze from the massive rock.

Changes would arise in heaven and earth. Though the power he currently displayed was sufficient to deal with the coming upheaval, there were still strained aspects. If unlucky, it would instead expose even more.

Da Xuan pressed the hidden scale beneath his left eye. The concealed patterns flowed with purple-gold light, and the patterns underwent some subtle change, as if an exquisitely complex lock had opened a tiny clasp, releasing a fraction of the vast power sealed within.

Da Xuan withdrew his finger. This was enough for now. Now was not yet the time—he couldn’t expose too much. He gazed distantly toward a certain place where karmic connections were twisted, his profound eyes filled with bone-chilling cold.

His current state was indeed dire, and there were many things he couldn’t do. But the vast karmic connections of this world were a web he could manipulate. The movements of karmic connections appeared before his eyes in minute detail—with just a light touch of his fingertips, he could achieve his wishes.

Back then, he had extended karmic connections for Qing Fu, and now within the Xuanqing Sect, his piece had been placed.

Heaven and earth as the board, all living beings as the pieces.

Hundun, Taiyin—let us play a game, for the endgame of this world!

…..

Night ended and day broke. The sun disk rose again from the eastern horizon, as it had done every day across the past millions of years, moving across the sky, illuminating all beings.

The deity on the bed seemed awake yet not, his breathing generating warm harmonious qi that transformed into warm mist spreading densely. Sweet dew and spiritual mist drifted from the courtyard over the pond, surging up stone railings and tall trees, flowing down from the courtyard walls, soaking through grassland and winding around stone rocks, gradually enveloping the entire mountain forest.

The spiritual vein beneath the mountain forest slowly grew, actually breathing and swallowing like a living thing to nourish itself with the sweet dew, gradually forming a wondrous rhythm.

Li Chi slowly opened his eyes.

What he first saw was not the heaven and earth that ordinary people saw, but karmic connections shrouding everything like vast fog. He suddenly could see clearer and more discernible patterns within these tangled karmic connections mixed like fog, allowing him to understand more deeply and perceive certain things he had been unable to sense before.

Within that vast turning fog, some kind of strange and inauspicious thing was accumulating, and would soon reach a critical point where it could manifest and descend.

Aberration.

This strange and inauspicious thing suddenly triggered his cognition. This was what the deity in his dreams had said to Taiyin: “Living beings have long dwelt in confusion, their heart-fields parched. Using the invisible drought as a catalyst, aberrations will arise that defy time and reason.”

Then he recalled what Chi Zhenzi had said about the “great inauspiciousness.”

Each of his dreams and recognitions was triggered by certain related information. If the second dream about the establishment of the Xuanqing Sect was triggered by the name “Xuanqing Sect,” could the first dream of dialogue with Taiyin have been triggered by “great inauspiciousness”?

Could the “aberrations” the deity spoke of in the dream and the “great inauspiciousness” Chi Zhenzi mentioned refer to the same thing?

Li Chi pressed his forehead. Since Chi Zhenzi already knew this news, the Taiwu Earth God and Divine Court would certainly know as well, and would inevitably take action afterward. This was the best opportunity to observe.

……

The sky was still clear, the transparent azure sky bright with light. Many spirits and demons from the mountain wilderness had gathered nearby to cultivate, and didn’t disperse one by one until the sweet dew and spiritual mist that the deity’s cultivation fed back to heaven and earth dissipated, leaving behind fresh flowers, melons and fruits, medicinal materials and jade stones outside the courtyard wall.

No one knew when these spiritual wild beasts and various spirits from the mountain wilderness had begun habitually gathering near here to cultivate. Even natural enemies together wouldn’t fight each other, and none would hunt or kill in this vicinity.

After they left, several monkeys picked up the melons, fruits and other items left on the ground, climbing over the courtyard wall to place them on the table along with their self-brewed monkey wine, having already become the reception attendants here.

Ding Qin also helped tidy and organize things. Rising before sunrise each morning to cultivate and collect the offerings left by these mountain wilderness visitors had already become part of the daily morning routine. Today was only slightly different—on other days High God Li Chi mostly sat on the large bluestone by the pool, but today he was not there. However, the sweet dew and spiritual mist nourishing heaven and earth still remained; the High God had perhaps simply changed his cultivation location on a whim.

The ancient wooden door creaked open softly, and Li Chi emerged.

“High God.”

Ding Qin had just paid respects when she saw Li Chi’s gaze sweep across the mountain forest as he said, “I’m leaving for a time. A guest will come today—receive them. After the hour of Wei, there will be heavy rain.” As soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished.

Jin Yan looked up bewildered at the cloudless sunny sky. “Will there really be heavy rain today?”

Ding Qin likewise looked up at the cloudless sky. After becoming increasingly familiar with the spiritual essence of heaven and earth, her perception of weather changes had also become increasingly accurate. She hadn’t sensed that it would rain today, but if she could sense it, the High God wouldn’t need to verbally remind them.

This rain… was probably extraordinary.

Some unease arose in her heart.

……

Shuigu Town, Yun family ancestral hall.

Wangyue had already returned Shuoyue’s divine throne and the incense offerings she had accumulated for her. Although these incense offerings and faith had been accumulated in Shuoyue’s name, it was actually Wangyue who had responded to the prayers. Because of this, Shuoyue encountered some difficulty when taking over these offerings, and could only absorb them first with Wangyue’s help, to slowly digest them later.

The power accumulated over these six hundred years had not only healed Shuoyue’s old injuries, but pushed her to the point where she was just one step away from taking physical form. Once she fully digested those offerings, she would surely be able to take that step.

After returning Shuoyue’s divine throne, Wangyue could finally completely condense her own divine throne.

The process of condensing the divine throne went smoothly. What Wangyue wanted to condense was merely a small Medicine God throne protecting a few households, not like Great King Yishan who wanted to become a mountain god or earth god protecting an entire region.

The requirements for the divine throne she was condensing weren’t high. Previously she had been unable to form it only because of Shuoyue’s divine throne, but now that the obstacle was resolved, it instead allowed her to achieve a breakthrough from long accumulation.

The instant Wangyue’s divine throne condensed, a profoundly mysterious seal spontaneously arose from the void, quietly falling into Wangyue’s divine throne.

Wangyue immediately gained understanding—this was the Divine Court’s seal, containing within it the orthodox divine path cultivation methods she had long dreamed of obtaining. She could refuse, stripping it from her divine throne, or accept, condensing it into her own divine throne.

Wangyue unhesitatingly condensed the Divine Court’s seal into her divine throne. How could she refuse? Her reason for choosing divine path cultivation was precisely to obtain orthodox cultivation methods.

That profoundly mysterious Divine Court’s seal seemed extremely compatible with the divine throne. With just a turn of Wangyue’s thought, it merged together with her divine throne.

At the same time, a trace of doubt flashed through her mind: would there be divine path cultivators who chose to refuse the Divine Court’s seal? How did these refusing cultivators cultivate?

But this doubt was instantly covered over by the joy of achieving demon godhood.

Wangyue opened her eyes. Shuoyue, who had been protecting her, was smiling at her.

The suffering had passed—now should be a time for joy.

“I…” Wangyue’s words stopped abruptly as she turned to look toward the ancestral hall entrance.

The Earth God’s guardian suddenly appeared at the door, his face solemn as he looked at her:

“The Divine Court has issued a decree. The Earth God urgently summons all deities who have condensed divine thrones in Shuigu Town and its jurisdiction. Please proceed immediately to the Earth God temple.”