Chapter 48: The Price of Turmoil

The Earth God’s heart sank further upon hearing these words, convinced that this individual intended to eradicate them completely, leaving no hope of survival.

“I only beg the immortal to spare that junior’s life; this old man and this remnant god will accompany you without resistance.”

“Mama isn’t going to harm you, so wouldn’t it be better to simply go with her?”

Seeing the pitiful look on his face as he replied, Little Girl couldn’t resist interjecting.

“I understand everything,” the old man said, shaking his head with a sigh. “The High Immortal need not elaborate further; this old man will certainly follow.”

“Did those who came before act in a similar manner?”

Qíngyǔ, finding a faint amusement in the situation, cast a glance at the trembling Earth God and continued the conversation, if only to dispel the fleeting distracting thoughts that had just crossed her mind.

“The High Immortal is quite virtuous, but if it were another…”

He abruptly fell silent, pointedly omitting the name.

“They would have flipped this small temple completely upside down upon our first encounter.”

“And who would that ‘another’ be?”

“Unspeakable, utterly unspeakable.”

The Earth God refrained from glancing at the green-robed maiden, yet sensing her indifferent but peaceful aura, a faint glimmer of hope sparked within his heart.

His karmic ties with that individual were far too profound; he feared that merely speaking their name would invite a response, making it truly unwise to utter it directly.

Even now, the mere thought of them sent a shiver of unease through him.

“You don’t even dare to utter their name?”

Qíngyǔ felt a pang of confusion. Logically, the practice of `wèi zūnzhě huì` (TL Note: A traditional Chinese custom of avoiding the direct mention of a revered person’s name out of respect or fear of consequence) typically required a great power, one deeply skilled in the Way of Karma, to truly necessitate such caution.

While it wasn’t surprising for such formidable figures to exist in this world, could even the Earth God of this crumbling temple truly have encountered such a being?

“I won’t speak of it, I won’t speak of it. This old man will simply follow the immortal now.”

The Earth God shuffled, groaning faintly, towards the dilapidated divine statue. He looked up, and even though the paint had long peeled away, Song Daocong’s features were still faintly discernible.

He recalled how, in those bygone years, he had galloped across the nation, crushing his foes into despair, raising dust and scattering blood, all to bring joy to the people. Yet, in the end, all that remained was a dilapidated temple on a humble mountain, and he wondered for whom all that effort had truly been.

“This is as far as I go.”

Shaking his head, the old man placed his hand upon the clay statue. Immediately, soil churned up from the fractured bluestone slabs around it, and in a blink, the statue vanished from its platform.

He could, in truth, still resist, but he found no meaning in doing so.

With his remnant spirit already damaged, and no certainty of victory, coupled with Song Daocong’s daughter’s apparent trust in the two individuals before him, he decided it was better to simply gamble on this one chance.

If he won, joy would be universal; if he lost, he would trade his damaged form for the life of the little Pallas’s Cat.

As sand and soil churned, Little Girl watched from behind, her eyes sparkling with fascination, and immediately reached out to tug at her Mama’s sleeve.

“Mama, I want to learn that!”

Qíngyǔ let out a soft cough. When her master in her previous life had taught about the affinity with earth, she hadn’t paid much attention, and consequently, she couldn’t actually replicate the Earth God’s technique herself.

“We’ll discuss it later. You haven’t even mastered summoning the wind yet; don’t be so overly ambitious.”

“Oh…”

[I can do it, I can! You should learn from me!]

Little Girl pouted, pointedly ignoring the clamorous shouts of the Immortal Sword echoing within her Sea of Consciousness.

“It’s merely a minor trick, incomparable to the immortal’s profound Way of Aura Concealment.”

Shaking his head, the Earth God slowly approached, weakly cupping his hands in a gesture of respect.

“Pray tell, immortal, how may I be of service?”

The Pallas’s Cat, seeing him finally done with his `shāng chūn bēi qiū` (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning to lament spring and mourn autumn, referring to being overly sentimental or melancholic), leaped off the platform and impatiently stepped onto his shoulder.

“Let’s go, let’s go.”

“Oh, you…”

“You old man are always so timid; I wonder where you picked that up.”

Even at this moment, the two of them were still bickering.

Seeing that they were finally ready, Qíngyǔ led Little Girl out of the temple gate. It had rained yesterday, and she surmised that further down the path, they might encounter some mountain travelers.

She glanced back at the Earth God, gesturing towards the mountain path. The Earth God immediately understood, and with the Pallas’s Cat, he sank into the earth, leaving only a small mound of soil trailing silently beside her.

“High Immortal, may I ask how far this destination lies?”

“Not far at all; it’s right at the foot of the mountain.”

Little Girl, her curiosity piqued, picked up a branch and squatted down to poke at the small earth mound.

“Many thanks for the High Immortal’s benevolence…”

“Please, do not address this humble Daoist in such a manner any longer.”

Being repeatedly addressed as ‘High Immortal’ made Qíngyǔ instinctively uncomfortable.

While it had been acceptable when she needed to leverage this pretense to gain the Earth God’s agreement, now that he had complied, she preferred not to be addressed in such a way.

“Then, High—” The Earth God almost blurted it out, but forcibly corrected himself. “How should I address you, then?”

“If you do not find it objectionable, you may call this humble Daoist a Daoist friend, or by my Daoist name, Cangxuan; either is acceptable.”

“How could I dare? This old man will simply presume to call you ‘Daoist friend’.”

As for a Daoist name, how could he possibly utter it? The Earth God couldn’t help but feel that this immortal was exceedingly petty.

Every divine cultivator understood that words invariably carried consequences, yet this individual seemed to be deliberately, or perhaps inadvertently, digging a pit for themself.

“I haven’t yet asked where the Earth God originally hails from.”

Unaware of the myriad thoughts swirling in his mind, Qíngyǔ, feeling as though she had bridged some of the distance between them, simply started a casual conversation.

“I was originally a mountain spirit, and unable to bear the tragic state of the human world, I subsequently followed General Song out of the mountains.”

The Earth God did not reveal the name of his homeland.

“But why do you feel such concern for the affairs of the human world?”

Qíngyǔ found this rather peculiar.

In her previous life, many mountain spirits and monsters chose to protect a region to attain enlightenment, and while some possessed great virtue, she had never encountered one who, from the outset, declared an inability to bear the tragic state of the human world.

“Daoist friend, you must be aware of the turmoil that plagued the underworld, yes?”

“I have not, in fact, heard of such events.”

While she harbored some vague, unfavorable suspicions about the underworld in this world, she had never imagined that the term “turmoil” would be applicable.

Upon hearing her words, the Earth God merely assumed she was jesting, perhaps testing his stance. He could only proceed with caution as he began to speak.

During the Celestial War, countless lives were lost across the four corners of heaven and earth. Within the current dominion of the Great Qian Sacred Dynasty alone, the number of bodies left to rot in the wilderness was beyond reckoning.

At that time, due to the immense backlog in the underworld and the instability of the Six Paths of Reincarnation caused by the war, a formidable demonic entity was spawned.

“This world also has a concept of reincarnation?”

“That demonic entity sought to establish a new cycle of reincarnation.”

The Earth God explained that when souls in this world entered the underworld, their divine consciousnesses, being yet undissipated, would temporarily persist for a period. Only after this interval would they return to the Way of Heaven, to be reborn as spirits.

This, however, differed somewhat from Qíngyǔ’s previous life.

In her previous life, the concept of a true Underworld and Hell was a verifiable reality.

Generally, after death, sentient beings didn’t simply dissipate back into the heavens and earth; instead, their memories were purged, and they were then reincarnated based on the merits of their previous lives.

Seekers of the Dao, of course, were an exception.

“In essence, that demonic entity caused a massive disturbance in the underworld, leading many yin souls to escape back to the mortal realm. With the Celestial War raging and demonic chaos erupting, evil energies surged across the four lands, ultimately bringing ruin to my homeland.”

“I see.”

Qíngyǔ nodded, accepting the Earth God’s account.

She wondered, however, about the current state of the underworld.

Since arriving in this world, she hadn’t encountered any officials from the netherworld; perhaps she should investigate it at some point.

After all, the matter of reincarnation held immense significance, and not knowing the truth left her feeling unsettled.

“Ultimately, that demonic entity succeeded,” the Earth God sighed.

“By not entering the Five Elements of Reincarnation, it wreaked havoc in the underworld, truly seizing a sliver of life for itself… but at the bitter cost of all living beings under heaven.”

As they spoke, the bustling Mùyún Temple appeared distantly at the end of the road.

Observing the temple, which, despite its many devotees, maintained perfect order, Qíngyǔ nodded subtly and pointed it out to the Earth God.

“That is the temple. I ask that the Earth God continue to assist General Song in protecting the peace of this region.”

The Earth God, bewildered, only thought he was growing senile upon hearing the maiden speak.

“Daoist friend, do not jest with this old man. I still carry General Song upon my person…”

“Whether it is so or not, you will know once you investigate,” Qíngyǔ said, shaking her head as she took Little Girl’s hand. “This humble Daoist still has to prepare a meal, so I will not linger.”

With that, the two turned and departed, disappearing into the fading sunlight at the road’s end, leaving the Earth God and the Pallas’s Cat standing dumbfounded.

“I’m going senile. What did the High— Daoist friend just say?”

The old man was still muttering, but the Pallas’s Cat, having long lost patience, couldn’t resist giving him a sharp kick to the back of his head.

“What are you still mumbling about, old man? Go and see!”