Chapter 19

Seeing the illusion shatter, Zhou Yuan immediately dove into the water after the two. Zhang Yulin, sensing the Moon God's divine power waning, quickly withdrew the divine beast into her bracelet and retreated.

Yu Jia, who had been setting up the formation from the shadows, finished the final talisman and channeled his magic. The talisman flew toward the fireflies before he too plunged into the water.

Once everyone had gone and the restraints lifted, the Moon God gathered his power and broke through the layers of the formation, his gaze fixed on the shattered water's surface.

The Crimson God returned to the illusion, appearing beside the Moon God. Seeing the Moon God's slightly disheveled state, he couldn't help but laugh despite his own defeat. "Our great Moon God, how did you end up like this at the hands of mortals?"

"And you didn't flee in haste?" The words had barely left his mouth when the Moon God realized he'd misspoken. The air froze.

"I'd like to see if they can escape so smoothly next time," the Moon God said, quickly changing the subject, clenching his fists to mask his emotions. "What matters now is that the God of Glory's Ascension banquet should have already begun."

"The God of Glory?" Zhang Dian was reminded and remembered it was about that time. "Right!"

"They've returned to the mortal realm, left our territory. We can't act against them anymore. Our identities aren't suited to appearing in the human world, but the God of Glory is different. He's used to running rampant among mortals, and he's the most vengeful sort. If he learns there's a mortal trying to stand in his way, what do you suppose his retaliation will look like?"

The Crimson God understood. "You want to kill with a borrowed blade?" He laughed heartily. "Doesn't the God of Glory have a pretty big grudge against that Rain Goddess?"

The Moon God smiled enigmatically. "Between those two, 'grudge' doesn't even begin to cover it. That's a blood debt that demands repayment..."

The Crimson God said, "Then let's go tell the God of Glory that a mortal happened to obtain the Rain Goddess's artifact, possessed her body, learned some old stories between him and the Rain Goddess, and plans to tell the whole world. Shall we give him a little push?"

The Moon God wasn't sure whether Lin Yu had gained the memories the Rain Goddess had after Ascension, but whether she knew or not, he'd slander her first and ask questions later.

Their gazes both fell on the now-frozen river. "Then let's wish her luck..."

...

Underwater.

The scene before her was indistinct, everything hazy and watery, as if floating in a void. Having been struck twice by the whip—which was laced with poison—the real pain made Lin Yu's consciousness begin to scatter.

After leaving the illusion, once the Rain Goddess A Si's identity had faded, the divine mark on Lin Yu's forehead dimmed. She reverted to her mortal flesh, and could no longer withstand the injuries sustained from the divine artifact. Her consciousness sank into the water, her eyes slowly closing.

A voice laced with the sound of water broke into Lin Yu's awareness. Someone brushed through her hair, holding her as they swam toward the surface. He said, "It's fake. Everything in the illusion was fake. Don't close your eyes."

Just like the truth they had unraveled before—those who suffered injury, disability, or death after leaving an illusion did so because they believed they were gravely wounded. As long as you refused to believe it, and held firm that the illusion was false, you would emerge unscathed.

Refuse to believe...

Lin Yu had a very long dream. First, she dreamed she was trapped in a cage, being carried up to a high altar. A ritual priest with a face painted in garish colors chanted incantations before her, the divine patterns on his face looking like strange, laughable symbols.

She pushed hard against the heavy iron cage, but she couldn't escape. The flames around her had already ignited, about to reach her.

Lin Yu struggled and struggled, but she could muster no strength. All her power was drained, her body limp, and she couldn't break free of the cage. She was lit like a torch.

She was the torch.

The pain of being devoured by flames was too vivid. She was burned to ashes.

After the darkness, everything vanished, and she dreamed of her sister Lin Zhao.

Lin Zhao appeared before her, bound to a pillar of glowing red. Her mouth was covered, so she couldn't speak, but her tear-filled eyes gazed at Lin Yu beside her.

Lin Yu moved forward, but before she could touch the hem of Lin Zhao's robes, someone seized her. The person drove a peach wood branch deep into her heart!

The branch nearly pierced through her body.

A torrent of blood burst forth, warm blood splattering across Lin Yu's face. As the blood drained away, Lin Zhao's body grew thinner and thinner, until it collapsed to the ground like a hollow, empty skin.

The skin lay on the floor, pressed flush against it, its features indistinguishable. It looked at Lin Yu and barely formed the words, "Jiyue, go back. Go back."

The paper-thin skin raised its arm with difficulty, a strange touch brushing across Lin Yu's cheek. "Jiyue, don't save me, and don't avenge me. It's not worth it..."

The fading voice seemed to linger in the sky, growing harder to hear, until Lin Yu could only barely make out the shape of her lips.

It was like a final whisper before death.

With that, Lin Zhao's figure blurred before her eyes. Lin Yu desperately tried to grasp at that phantom, but Lin Zhao vanished...

A voice drifted above her head. "General Song has died of illness. The Moon God is displeased. The Xianzun has decreed that tonight, twelve women with immortal aptitude will be stabbed with peach wood as sacrifices to the Moon God. Tomorrow, on the Moon God Festival, they will be burned along with the general's daughter."

Lin Yu collapsed to the ground, grasping at nothing. There was nothing left there anymore. She stared blankly at the coil of hemp rope on the floor, and finally she snapped back to reality—

Lin Yu stared at the empty pillar before her, hatred seeping into her eyes.

Human sacrifice. Moon God Festival. Moon God, Crimson God, Xianzun—none of you will escape!

Lin Yu's eyes snapped open. Before her was a familiar room, every furnishing vivid and clear. Lin Yu had seen this before. This was...

This was Lin Zhao's room!

"You're finally awake!"

Lin Yu turned toward the source of the voice. It was a young immortal attendant of about seven or eight, warming her hands by the brazier. As she spoke, her breath puffed out in the cold air and quickly dissipated.

Only now did Lin Yu regain sensation. She could feel the temperature—it was winter.

The little attendant complained, "Ugh, do you know you've been unconscious for half a month? I've been here watching over you every day, I'm about to go moldy! Oh! His Majesty instructed that once you wake, you can begin arranging the grand sacrifice ceremony!"

At that, her eyes suddenly brightened. "After the ceremony, once you've received the worship of the people, you'll be our new Divine Maiden! Since I've watched over you all these days, can you..."

The little attendant pouted, as if making some kind of resolution. "Can you take me on as a disciple?"

The girl's face was round and chubby. The weather was cold, and she was thinly dressed, her nose red from the chill. Lin Yu saw how pitiful she looked and agreed without asking anything, her soft voice cutting through the surrounding cold: "Okay."

The little attendant heard Lin Yu say "okay" but didn't react at first, speaking in a rapid rush without pause: "You don't have to refuse so quickly. I know I'm a bit slow, and the Xianzun doesn't really like me, but—"

She suddenly realized Lin Yu had actually agreed. She snapped her head up to look at Lin Yu, who was silently watching her from the bed.

"Huh?! Then—then you can't take it back! I'm sticking to you now, you can't shake me off!"

Lin Yu chuckled, pushing herself up to sit. "Where is the Xianzun? I'd like to pay my respects."

"The Xianzun? He went on a long trip a few days ago! Said... said because... oh, right! Because someone in the Jiangnan region used evil arts to secretly perform a method of resurrecting the dead. The Xianzun went to Jiangnan when he heard. You probably won't be able to see him before the grand ceremony."

Lin Yu nodded, then asked, "And His Majesty?"

...

Xuansheng Hall.

Fu Ming lounged against the ornate imperial throne, loosely holding a letter in one hand, the other tapping absently on the desk. Before him knelt a floor full of cultivators.

All of them wore expressions of terror, heads bowed low, eyes fixed on the ground, not daring to look up.

Fu Ming swept his gaze across the ministers and alchemists. "So, I sent you all to investigate the Rain Goddess's whereabouts for a full two years, and all you brought back is a market rumor that the Rain Goddess and the God of Glory are in cahoots? Is that right?"

Fu Ming's expression looked gentle—he was clearly smiling—but everyone felt a chill run down their spines. The more seasoned cultivators all feared seeing His Majesty smile. When he made that face, someone was about to die.

The priority now was to say something to save their lives!

An elderly cultivator stepped forward trembling. "Your Majesty, forgive us! We—" He dragged out the word for a long time, but ultimately couldn't finish.

The younger cultivator beside him quickly picked up the thread. "It's just that the Rain Goddess has vanished for years. A few months ago, she finally appeared again in her followers' dreams, but the first thing she did was demand the restoration of abandoned temples, and force her followers to offer gold, silver, and jewelry... It's just too bizarre..."

Another alchemist with an immortal bearing took up the conversation. "The God of Glory governs the world's gold and treasures, while the Rain Goddess governs favorable weather for the mortal realm. Now, the offerings that Jiangnan's followers have given the Rain Goddess have already far surpassed those of the God of Glory. If this continues, the Rain Goddess will be taking over the God of Glory's job and managing the world's wealth in his place!"

Lin Yu stood not far outside the Xuansheng Hall. She could faintly hear the discussions within. Having experienced the Rain Goddess's past and possessed part of her memories, she knew the Rain Goddess would never do something as absurd as forcing her followers to make offerings.

There had to be more to this.

Lin Yu was about to step forward when a guard at the hall's entrance stopped her.

Lin Yu said humbly, "Please announce me. I wish to see His Majesty."

Lin Yu wore plain clothes, no ornaments in her hair, and her face was unfamiliar. The two guards at the door merely glanced at her sideways; one of them let out a sneer, and neither bothered to respond.

Inside the hall, there was silence for a moment before Fu Ming spoke again. "Then investigate the God of Glory. If a single dream from the Rain Goddess can steal his spotlight and his wealth, the God of Glory wouldn't just stand by and do nothing..."

Seeing Lin Yu still standing there, a guard moved to drive her off. "Who do you think you are, blocking His Majesty's doorstep? Get lost!"

"You—"

The commotion outside immediately caught Fu Ming's attention inside the hall.

Fu Ming stopped mid-sentence and tossed the letter onto the desk. "Who's out there?"

At that, a eunuch hurried out to see what was happening.

As the hall doors opened, Lin Yu came into Fu Ming's view. The alchemists, hearing the stir, turned to look at her as well.

When Fu Ming saw Lin Yu, subtle changes finally appeared in his expression.

He understood the situation at a glance. His gaze fell on the two guards outside, and though his voice was light, everyone present heard it clearly: "Drag them away."

The two guards, thinking they'd received an order to act, flashed smug smiles and moved toward Lin Yu—only to be tackled from behind by shadows who appeared from nowhere and slammed hard onto the ground!

One of them started to curse—where did these guards come from, daring to treat them like this?!

But before the words could leave his mouth, a great sense of weightlessness hit as they were dragged out by their arms.

Fu Ming tapped his fingers on the desk. "I don't keep dogs with low eyes. All of you, look carefully. From now on, she is the new Divine Maiden of the Heaven's Mandate Tower."

At those words, the cultivators finally dared to raise their heads and take a proper look at Lin Yu, their eyes full of fear.

"What if the God of Glory did it deliberately?"

Lin Yu walked past the kneeling cultivators and went straight to Fu Ming's side, looking up at him. "Without the God of Glory's help, just forcing followers to give offerings wouldn't let the Rain Goddess accumulate so much wealth quickly to restore temples. Unless she had a god who manages wealth helping her."

At this, quiet murmurs rose in the previously silent study as everyone began discussing in hushed tones.

"That can't be, right? The God of Glory, as the God of Wealth, is the last one to lack money. Why would he help the Rain Goddess?"

"The Rain Goddess's reputation is already ruined from forcing offerings. The God of Glory is a good god!"

"Someone is impersonating the Rain Goddess, entering her followers' dreams." Lin Yu voiced her speculation, and the room fell silent again. "Otherwise, how do you explain the Rain Goddess disappearing for twenty years, only to reappear demanding offerings in her followers' dreams?"

"Vanishing for two decades just for a few offerings? That doesn't add up, does it?" Lin Yu said languidly.

"The real Rain Goddess died long ago."