Mountain of Destiny

All the Yin Gods took the jade slips, countless thoughts racing through their minds, unsure of what this meant. At this moment, one of the Yin God Venerables chuckled and said, "Senior Blood-Robed Sword God's grand stroke at the Divine Flower Society truly takes one's breath away!" There was a hint of flattery in his voice. The other Yin Gods, also having some understanding of what had transpired at the Divine Flower Society, chimed in with praises of their own. "To fish for the world's techniques using a single divine art—Senior's methods are profound indeed!" "That isn't just profound; that is supreme selflessness! How precious is a divine art? How could ordinary cultivation arts possibly compare? The Blood-Robed Sword God opened his purse generously, offering a divine art to all under heaven to face the Great Tribulation!" Surrounded by the chorus of flattery and fervent discussion from the Yin God Venerables, Qi Yuan felt a little lightheaded with pride. *Am I really so righteous and noble?* *So what I did actually had such deep significance?* *No wonder ancient emperors loved hearing sweet words!* Even though he felt a bit smug, Qi Yuan remained calm deep down. He recalled an incident from his past life on Blue Star, where a reading comprehension question on the college entrance exam had been about a scarecrow. One of the questions asked what the scarecrow standing in the field expressed. The official correct answer was that the scarecrow symbolized the author's father, expressing the author's longing for him. When the author found out about it, he cursed furiously, wishing he could tell the test-maker that the scarecrow in the field was their own damn father. Qi Yuan quietly basked in their flattery, taking note of the "profound meanings" they had read into his actions so he might reuse them next time. "Everyone, why don't you register an account?" Qi Yuan said. The Yin Gods hurriedly began registering according to his instructions. Qi Yuan was delighted. He had gotten them all to sign up without even handing out free eggs. If only he still had contact with Blue Star—backed by an entire world, earning cash rewards for user registrations would have been ridiculously easy. Following Qi Yuan's directions, the Yin Gods registered their accounts one after another. Their faces were filled with anticipation, eager to learn what grand undertaking the Blood-Robed Sword God had in store for them. Then Qi Yuan spoke in an airy tone. "Well, the thing I need your help with is to slash a price... Wait, no, I'll send you a link. Go boost my junior sister." As he spoke, Qi Yuan used the jade slip of the Head Society Master of the Divine Flower Society to send Jiang Lingsu's boost link to all the Yin Gods. The Yin Gods on the field stared at each other in bewilderment. Those who understood what a boost was were completely dumbfounded. While sending invites to get boosts was common among the younger generation, no one had ever dared ask Yin Gods like them to do such a thing. Thus, this was the very first time any of them had ever given someone a boost. To hear that the task the Blood-Robed Sword God required their assistance with was simply boosting his junior sister struck them as utterly absurd and surreal. "Senior Blood-Robed Sword God, this old man has successfully completed the boost. Might I ask what else requires our service?" Great Venerable Youhua spoke up at this moment. Regardless of their confusion, the remaining Yin God Venerables also quickly gave Jiang Lingsu their boosts. At the same time, curiosity stirred within them regarding the Blood-Robed Sword God's junior sister, that Spirit Maiden. Could she also be a powerhouse at the level of a Great Venerable? "That was a huge help, thank you," Qi Yuan said. "As for further help, put some effort into gathering cultivation arts and uploading them here." To him, cultivation arts were what truly mattered. The Grand Palace Master of the Dao Seeking Palace was slightly taken aback. Gathering cultivation arts, as the Blood-Robed Sword God mentioned, was something they were already doing; quite a few had even been uploaded to the Origin God Sharing Society. To them, these were mere trifles. What they truly sought were direct assignments and arrangements to confront the Great Tribulation. "May we ask when Senior intends to act against the Great Tribulation? We are willing to serve to the utmost of our ability!" the Grand Palace Master of the Dao Seeking Palace said. The Great Tribulation possessed wings and appendages of its own. Entities like the Dark Sun were extremely powerful wings of the tribulation. Yet besides the Dark Sun, there were other wings, some mighty and some weak. The weaker ones naturally needed to be pruned away by cultivators like them. Qi Yuan looked at them and shook his head. "You people are far too weak." These blunt words fell upon their ears, and complex feelings, including an inevitable pang of inferiority, welled up within the Yin God Venerables. To be dismissed as too weak! Most of them were hegemons commanding their own territories. Having come all this way to pledge their support, receiving such a verdict was hard to swallow. "Don't feel inferior," Qi Yuan consoled them with consummate emotional intelligence. "Although you don't even qualify to blow the suona in my musical troupe, when I go to wipe out the Great Tribulation, you can stand by the sidelines and shout '666.'" The Yin Gods exchanged glances again, struck speechless. They naturally knew about the Blood-Robed Sword God's musical troupe. Whenever he killed someone, he would dispatch a troupe to play the suona. Yet they didn't even qualify to blow the suona for him? Great Venerable Youhua felt somewhat slighted. "Senior, do we truly not even possess that qualification?" The other Yin Gods felt the same. Yet the moment Great Venerable Youhua uttered those words, he realized how utterly ridiculous it was—he was actually aggrieved over not being allowed to blow a suona for someone! "If I fight the Great Tribulation, the shockwaves will certainly be immense," Qi Yuan explained earnestly. "If you play music nearby and get grazed by the aftershocks, you'll be done for instantly. If you stand far away, even if you blow with all your might, I won't be able to hear you. Besides, my musical troupe is already full, and their strength is quite formidable. Last time the Four Generals of the Lei Family showed up, I casually sent out a few members of my troupe and snuffed them out completely!" Back in the Mortal Heart Realm, his musical troupe, mourning troupe, chef troupe, and coffin-bearing troupe were already fully staffed. Unless he encountered exceptionally suitable experts, Qi Yuan couldn't be bothered to recruit more. These Yin Gods were simply too weak. Meanwhile, Qi Yuan's words stirred tempestuous waves in the hearts of the gathered Yin Gods. "The musical troupe... killed the Four Generals of the Lei Family?" "The Blood-Robed Sword God truly possesses extraordinarily powerful subordinates!" The Yin Gods were shaken, harboring deep dread. If the Blood-Robed Sword God was even more terrifying than imagined and did not fight alone—if even his musical troupe could slay the Four Generals of the Lei Family—they truly could not compare. "Since you wish to follow me, join the Origin God Sharing Society and handle some logistical work," Qi Yuan said. After all, these Yin Gods represented roughly a quarter of the formidable factions across more than twenty domains. Though weak, they still had their uses. Hearing this, the Yin Gods felt reluctant, but they nodded stiffly all the same. Some even breathed a sigh of relief. Truth be told, confronting the Great Tribulation directly filled them with dread. Handling logistics, at least, seemed safe. "Understood!" The Yin God Venerables bowed respectfully, their admiration for the Blood-Robed Sword God deepening further. With the allegiance of so many Yin Gods, the Blood-Robed Sword God could have instantly become the master of the greatest faction in the Canglan Realm if he so wished. Yet he seemed completely indifferent to such worldly power. "Mm," Qi Yuan nodded. Having taken on some new subordinates, he assigned a few tasks to the Yin God Venerables. They amounted to collecting cultivation arts and martial manuals, alongside purifying the moral climate in various regions. In particular, they were to patrol every territory and monitor the Divine Flower Society forum. Anyone found speaking ill of the Blood-Robed Sword God was to face righteous judgment and have their past deeds scrutinized. After all, if someone dared speak ill of the Blood-Robed Sword God today, didn't that mean they would dare betray the Canglan Realm tomorrow? After giving a few casual instructions, Qi Yuan vanished into thin air. Only the hundred and twenty-odd Yin Gods remained standing where they were. The Grand Palace Master of the Dao Seeking Palace couldn't help but sigh in awe. "The Blood-Robed Sword God is truly a divine figure." Great Venerable Youhua also remarked with emotion, "Perhaps only an extraordinary individual can lead us to defeat the Great Tribulation." "Three hundred thousand years ago..." another Yin God Great Venerable murmured, lost in tangled memories. *** Meanwhile, within Qinghong City. A young man and woman recalled the crimson silhouette that had streaked across the sky moments ago, the complex expressions in their eyes lingering still. That figure was none other than the Blood-Robed Sword God. Just moments before, the Blood-Robed Sword God had returned to Qinghong City. Every cultivator who caught sight of that blood-red figure had halted their steps and bowed respectfully to honor the mighty expert. At that moment, a voice sounded by Shi Rulan's ear. "Sister Shi, isn't Senior Blood-Robed Sword God just as wise and martial as the legends say?" a female cultivator asked. Shi Rulan and Shi Rushan had traveled to Qinghong City from another domain, meeting this chatterbox of a female cultivator along the road. Shi Rulan nodded somewhat absently. "Mm." The talkative cultivator continued, "That divine art in the Divine Flower Society was provided by this very lord! Oh right, Sister Shi, you haven't boosted anyone yet, have you? Would you like to give me a boost?" Hearing this, a flash of displeasure crossed Shi Rulan's eyes, and her demeanor turned icy cold. "I find such things utterly detestable!" Shi Rushan put on an apologetic smile, though his eyes were equally distant and frosty. "Pardon us, but my sister and I must take our leave." The two of them left the inn, their figures quickly vanishing. Only the chatterbox was left behind, completely baffled. She couldn't understand why the Shi siblings' attitude had turned so cold all of a sudden. Throughout their journey, the two had seemed so gentle. Meanwhile, Shi Rushan and Shi Rulan moved away swiftly, conversing in hushed tones. "Did you record it?" "Mm. I caught a glimpse of him and memorized his aura!" "Good. Such a dangerous element must be strangled in the cradle. Otherwise, who knows what catastrophic disaster and uncertain future he might bring upon the Canglan Realm? As Destiny Sorcerers, we must do our part for this realm," Shi Rushan said with utter piety. Both Shi Rushan and Shi Rulan possessed Purple Mansion cultivations. Their personal strength was not formidable, but they hailed from the Mountain of Destiny. It was an ancient lineage. Long before the Great Tribulation ever descended upon the Canglan Realm, the Mountain of Destiny had already existed. The cultivators of the Mountain of Destiny called themselves Destiny Sorcerers—the correctors of the Canglan Realm. To them, the Heavenly Dao operated according to its own laws and had to proceed step by step along its established path. Any deviation was a breach of order and detrimental to the world. "This Blood-Robed Sword God has bewitched the masses with deceitful words, causing so much calamity. Along our journey, how many cultivators did I see turning on their own kin just to gather cultivation arts? He is the root of all this evil, yet those cultivators revere him and treat him like a god! How preposterous!" Shi Rulan's voice brimmed with anger and incomprehension. "The common people are always ignorant," Shi Rushan sighed. "Those like us who can perceive destiny are few and far between. If we allow the Blood-Robed Sword God to grow unchecked and challenge the Great Tribulation, it will bring absolute catastrophe upon the Canglan Realm! If our ancestors had not turned the tide and saved the world three hundred thousand years ago, how many innocent lives would have perished in this realm?" Three hundred thousand years ago, an ancestor of the Mountain of Destiny had foreseen a great disaster. He had witnessed the land sinking into ruin, the Canglan Realm shattered to pieces, countless lives butchered, and the world plunging into dead silence. Thus, to prevent the world's destruction, the ancestor of the Mountain of Destiny had proactively approached the Great Tribulation, reporting the source of all the disaster—that terrifying Yang God expert—to the beings behind the calamity. To their minds, by averting the annihilation of endless living beings, they had essentially saved the world. This was their greatest glory. "Now, it is our turn to sacrifice ourselves to save this realm!" Shi Rulan's gaze was resolute. "To sacrifice ourselves for the world is our inescapable duty!" Shi Rushan's eyes burned with equal fervor. To die for the world was a matter of immense pride. "Our cultivation is weak, so we can only affect him through the Gate of Destiny. Unfortunately, his power is far too great; even with the Gate of Destiny, we cannot slay him. However, combining the Gate of Destiny with the water of the Chaos-Filth Bird will plunge him into madness and derangement. A maddened cultivator will no longer be able to disrupt the world's operation, nor will he have the strength left to face the Great Tribulation. The world's destruction will not come to pass!" Shi Rulan nodded firmly. Destiny had its own trajectory; everything unfolding as intended was the best possible outcome. The Blood-Robed Sword God had rashly annihilated the Dark Sun and amassed cultivation arts, inciting turmoil and throwing the Canglan Realm into disarray. If his provocations triggered the Great Tribulation's frantic retaliation, how many innocent lives would be dragged into the slaughter? Three hundred thousand years ago, had their ancestors not turned the tide, perhaps half the living souls in the Canglan Realm would have fallen. Therefore, when they foresaw a deviation in destiny's path atop the Mountain of Destiny, they had descended to erase this anomaly known as the Blood-Robed Sword God. Of course, lacking the strength to kill him outright, all they could do was utilize the Gate of Destiny alongside the water of the Chaos-Filth Bird to drive him insane. A maddened Yin God might plunge an entire domain into chaos, resulting in the deaths of countless beings. Yet compared to the entire Canglan Realm, such a sacrifice was well worth it. "Everything for destiny!" "Everything for the predestined path!"