ATEG Chapter 107.2

When Fengchuan appeared again, he had already stepped onto Bijin Cliff. The Fire Pool was at the terminal end of Diancang Mountain, while Bijin Cliff was at the starting point. This was where it had once connected with Tianzhu Mountain, and in that great calamity twelve thousand years ago, it had broken into this precipitous cliff.

The mountain cliff was high, majestic, strange, and dangerous, rarely seen in the world, but this alone couldn’t make it one of the six great scenic wonders of Diancang Mountain.

This Bijin Cliff rose high into the clouds. From the portion above the cloud layer upward, threads of silver began growing in the leaf veins of plants, and silver stone sinews were likewise embedded in the mountain rocks. Closer to the summit, the silver threads became more numerous, finally becoming a scene of iron trees and silver flowers. These beings were born from the qi of Geng Metal, sharp and keen, but by the time they reached the cliff top, not a single one remained. The cliff top was thin and precipitous, narrow as a sword edge, already entirely transformed to a silver-white appearance like snow, reflecting blinding sunlight. The silver-white of the summit came not from accumulated snow—it had entirely transformed into metal. Forget snow falling—above this cliff, not even a wisp of cloud could persist. Everything would be scattered by the cliff’s sharp qi. No living things could survive here, only the pure, piercing qi of Geng Metal could cut through everything.

(TL: 庚金 (Gēng Jīn) Geng Metal=is one of the Five Elements (Wuxing, 五行) in Chinese metaphysics)

Yet at the summit of this sharp-qi-filled cliff, a sword was thrust down inverted, with a person sitting cross-legged before it, spine straight as a sword, full head of white hair bound behind the head with black vine. The entire person seemed even brighter and more upright than this metal summit, unmoving as a mountain amid the pervasive sharp qi.

“Gengheng.” Fengchuan stepped onto the cliff top, the fire qi surrounding him blocking the crisscrossing sharp qi. Anyone with slightly inferior cultivation wouldn’t just be unable to step onto the cliff—even approaching would cause severe injury.

Gengheng was the other spirit being in Diancang Mountain who had broken through the barrier of self-delusion. His true form was that sword thrust inverted at the summit. The sharp qi crisscrossing on Bijin Cliff arose because of him, but not intentionally—it wasn’t that Gengheng couldn’t control his own aura.

This matter traced back to the collapse of Tianzhu Mountain. That was a great calamity for heaven and earth. This broken cliff was a wound left behind. When the heaven-supporting pillar collapsed, the calamity’s baleful qi condensed on this wound and remained undispersed to this day—one of the most terrifying things in the world. Gengheng resided long at the head of Diancang Mountain, using his own sharp qi to block this baleful qi. Over the long years, the Geng Metal qi leaking from his body gradually transformed this broken cliff into its current appearance.

Gengheng opened his eyes—frost-like eyes showing no emotion. The sword before him rang out softly, and suddenly something flew out from below the cliff, falling into Fengchuan’s palm.

“I must guard this place. You go on this journey.” Gengheng said.

What flew from below the cliff was a piece of dense, fine yellow jade. Fengchuan had already taken out one such piece of yellow jade when leaving the Fire Pool. The yellow jade was merely the condensed appearance—its true essence was so precious that perhaps no more than five existed in all heaven and earth.

Fengchuan put away the yellow jade, his gaze falling on Gengheng. He and Gengheng respectively guarded the head and tail of Diancang Mountain. It was both guarding and tempering themselves. Though the Fire Pool was equally important, it could do without someone there. Before Bijin Cliff lay the baleful qi of the great calamity—Gengheng had never left since taking up guard here. This journey could only be made by him. Both knew this, yet Gengheng had spoken that extra sentence just now, showing his heart had been moved.

Fengchuan didn’t hurry to leave. How could his own heart be any different?

“I also don’t know why the Flame Lord would give such a command.” Fengchuan said.

Ordinary disciples of Diancang Mountain didn’t know their sect’s relationship with the Flame Lord, but they knew. That year’s calamity was far more terrifying than now. When displaced and anxious, the Flame Lord had given them guidance and initial protection. These beings who followed the Flame Lord’s guidance to settle in Diancang Mountain later became the current Diancang Mountain sect. And he, Fengchuan, and Gengheng—their spiritual wisdom had been opened by the Flame Lord.

Just moments ago, they suddenly received divine instruction from the Flame Lord, asking them to deliver something to the Daqing Mountain range.

The Daqing Mountain range… that place, from a certain perspective, was no less significant than Diancang Mountain…

….

The Daqing Mountain range.

Jin Liushan followed behind Li Chi, step by step, treading the earth’s vein network forward.

Though he still didn’t know what High God Li Chi intended to do, Jin Liushan’s heart was already extremely shaken—as an earth god of one region, he sensed that the newly born earth vein and spiritual vein in the Daqing Mountain branch range was advancing with the High God’s footsteps, stretching out joyfully like a child having a growth spurt.

What did it mean to regulate heaven and earth?

Feet treading mountains and rivers, steps guiding earth veins.

The newborn spiritual vein followed at his feet, growing with each step.

Was this the authority and might of a deity of heaven and earth?

“Water veins are like blood, their qi circulating between heaven and earth. Earth veins are like bone—heaven has eyes, earth has spine.” The deity trod the mountain’s network, step by step toward the main range of the Daqing Mountains. Underground, the veins were like vines that had drunk their fill of water, stretching their bodies and reaching toward the sunlight, striving to grow shoots and leaves.

“Earth’s spine is also heaven’s ladder. The earth spine holds up heaven, manifesting as the pillar between heaven and earth.” 

Jin Liushan listened in shocked silence. The instinct of an earth god made him feel that what the deity said was correct, but why had he never heard of such a place?

“Twelve thousand years ago, Tianzhu Mountain broke, the earth spine fractured.”

The deity calmly recounted ancient secrets, yet Jin Liushan felt his spine suddenly go numb.

“When the earth spine broke, the connection between heaven and earth suddenly weakened by more than half. However…”

The deity’s steps suddenly stopped. Jin Liushan felt the earth vein beneath his feet pulse once, beginning to beat rhythmically like a heartbeat. In this pulsing, the newborn earth vein had already connected to the main range of the Daqing Mountains. They were standing at the node where the two joined.

The earth generated vitality, the mountain colors renewed. The earth vein that had already generated spiritual essence stretched comfortably, about to issue a long cry. The deity tapped his foot, and the commotion of the earth veins connecting was suppressed to within a radius of one li. The nascent spiritual essence could only stretch slightly with some reluctance. In the air, a light spiritual mist suddenly condensed and fell like fine rain.

Two figures were drawn by the commotion here and appeared in a flash. One was tall and imposing, the other had a single horn on his head.

Jin Liushan steadied himself and looked—this was the Ghost King and a strange beast that had only recently transformed into a ghost body?

Right, they had already reached the edge of the Ghost King’s territory.

Nu Xu brought Xiezhi, borrowing the path of the Yellow Springs. They had just returned to their own ghost domain and were discussing matters of the Underworld.

That person behind the scenes, it was unknown what they wanted to obtain from the Underworld, scattering countless chess pieces. Now, removing these pawns one by one was actually still being led by the nose. If they could know the target, they could seize the initiative. But the Underworld was strange—how difficult would it be to find the secrets within?

“I know one matter. I don’t know if it’s related to this.” Xiezhi said.

“Please speak.”

“The world believes I have an innate divine power to enter the Underworld. But my ability to enter the Underworld came later. One day, I suddenly felt something calling, so I followed it. When I came to my senses, I found I had already entered the Underworld. After that, I could freely enter and exit the Underworld.”

“Did you find what was calling you?” Nu Xu asked.

Xiezhi shook his head. “I’ve entered the Underworld countless times to search, but I only have the sensation—I’ve never been able to find it.”

As they were speaking, Nu Xu suddenly detected earth vein disturbance in her ghost domain. She looked into the distance and discovered Li Chi was here.

“The little girl who helped restore your sanity is precisely this High God’s divine messenger. I’m going to meet him. Do you want to come with me?” Nu Xu asked.

Xiezhi assented.

After arriving, they encountered the earth veins connecting. Nu Xu asked, “Is the High God regulating the earth veins?”

Li Chi nodded, his gaze falling on Xiezhi. “This matter is also somewhat related to you.”

Xiezhi didn’t understand. The last time he came to the Daqing Mountain range was thousands of years ago—how could he be related to the earth veins here? Earth veins… thinking of this, his pupils suddenly contracted.

Before this calamity, he had been severely injured and near death because he had detected earth vein disturbance in Sui Kingdom. Going to investigate, he fell into a trap.

“That was a plan to kill two birds with one stone.” Li Chi’s gaze was distant.

The current territorial scope of Yin and the five great vassal states was not coincidental—behind it was the scheme of mighty beings. Seven hundred years ago, the chaotic warfare between nations seemed to be conflict between mortal kingdoms, but was actually the game and manipulation of those behind the scenes.

Sui Kingdom’s earth veins had already developed problems. The earth cavity at that ancient battlefield in Liang Kingdom was destroyed by him just as it was forming. Lu Kingdom respected the Divine Court, Min Kingdom worshipped the Flame Lord—the earth veins in these two places would have no problems. But the fourth earth vein didn’t exist only in Min, but ran through both Min and Ji Kingdoms. The four directions plus up and down made six unions—six unions was all under heaven. Yin ruled the vassal states, occupying the center. The earth vein it occupied could barely serve as the symbolic heaven-reaching vein pointing upward, but without establishing the earth spine symbolizing the downward direction, the heaven-reaching vein couldn’t condense either.

“When the earth spine broke, the earth didn’t collapse, nor did heaven and earth separate, because a new earth spine is being nurtured.” Li Chi said.

“The new earth spine… is it the Daqing Mountain range?” Jin Liushan asked.

“Not yet.” Li Chi said. “After Tianzhu Mountain broke, its qi scattered. One portion was inherited by Diancang Mountain, the other gradually gathered to the Daqing Mountain range over these twelve thousand years.”

The new earth spine must be one of these two. It was also for this reason that though the Daqing Mountain range and Diancang Mountain were abundant in spiritual essence, no earth god had ever been born there.

Diancang Mountain was difficult to tamper with, but the Daqing Mountain range had mixed forces. Yet even targeting the Daqing Mountain range, those who laid schemes only dared plant a tree near the main range, influencing the main range from the side.

The layout at Divine Tree Village had originally succeeded, but failed again due to Heavenly Maiden Wuyou’s arrangement and his intervention.

After Tianzhu Mountain broke, the Huai River became the largest water vein on earth. He awakened in the Li Manor, the Huai River Divine Lord was stationed in Shuigu Town—was this coincidence? This was precisely the point where the Huai River and the Daqing Mountain range intersected.

Li Chi slowly withdrew his gaze. “You should know about this matter. The earth veins are merely his backup idle move.”

Because of the Underworld matter, Nu Xu and Xiezhi had already been drawn into the struggle with that person behind the scenes. But if earth veins as the object of contention were merely an idle backup move, then what terrifyingly vast matter had they become involved in?

The commotion of the Daqing Mountain branch range connecting with the main range had passed. Xiezhi was silent for a long while before asking, “Are you going to…?”

“I am going to,” Li Chi stepped forward, treading onto the tail of the Daqing Mountain main range,

“Establish the spine for the earth.”