Chapter 2

The men received their orders and advanced on Lin Yu. Her palms were slick with sweat, and she clutched her skirts, watching them approach. Just as they were about to seize her—

"The late emperor and empress did not ascend to godhood!" Lin Yu nearly shouted. For a moment, everyone in the room froze.

The moment those words left her mouth, the air seemed to thicken. A middle-aged man at the head of the group went pale, stepped forward, grabbed the back of Lin Yu's neck, and dragged her up by her hair. "Your Majesty, forgive us. We'll take her away at once."

"Hold on. Release her."

Everyone was taken aback.

Fu Ming rose, took the half-burned incense stick, and inserted it into the burner. Then he brushed the ashes from his robes. The men stood rooted, watching him, not daring to move.

Fu Ming swept a glance over them. The people of Heaven's Mandate Tower lowered their heads respectfully and retreated to the side, exchanging uneasy looks. They couldn't fathom why His Majesty hadn't executed such an insolent person. In the past, someone like this would have been thrown to the wolves.

The atmosphere turned electric. The late emperor and empress had ascended over twenty years ago as the God of War and the Wind God, with hundreds of temples and countless believers across the land.

To say before the emperor—and before the Heaven's Mandate Tower, the most devout followers of the gods—that the late emperor and empress had not become gods was undoubtedly courting death.

"Your Majesty, this... this is outrageous blasphemy! Shall we execute her on the spot?" The old man spoke, his voice trembling.

Fu Ming did not answer. Instead, he leisurely adjusted the position of the incense stick in the burner. Because of this act, Lin Yu's suspicion hardened into conviction, and her heart settled slightly.

This mountain was adjacent to the Heaven's Mandate Tower, dotted with temples. The hundreds of shrines enshrined the current gods. To make offerings to deities, one had to first set up the idol, then place gold, silver, jewels, or spiritual treasures on the altar.

But this temple—the altar held no idol. It wasn't even clear who was being worshipped. The offerings were just a few jars of wine, and there was an incense burner stuffed full of incense sticks.

Incense was burned for the dead, not for gods. So Lin Yu deduced this wasn't a temple but a mourning hall. But why would the emperor build a mourning hall on a mountain covered with shrines, and come here to pay respects in the middle of the night?

Only the late emperor and empress could warrant the emperor's late-night kneeling and incense offerings.

But even Lin Yu, who didn't believe in gods, knew that the late emperor and empress had ascended to godhood long ago. Their idols were everywhere among the people. Why build a mourning hall here?

Gods don't receive incense. Burning incense for the gods was already puzzling, let alone burning it for the grand empress dowager who had supposedly ascended.

At that moment, an incredible thought flashed through Lin Yu's mind—the late emperor and empress had already fallen, or perhaps...

She thought of an even more unbelievable possibility: maybe they never ascended at all! So-called ascension was nothing but a grand deception played on the world!

Lin Yu's downcast lashes lifted slightly, and her gaze met Fu Ming's deep, brooding eyes not far away.

"Qingxian, see these gentlemen out."

Fu Ming swept a cool glance over their faces. The moment the words left his mouth, a sword—black with glimmering golden light—flew out. In an instant, blood splattered everywhere!

The people of Heaven's Mandate Tower fell one by one. The sword circled in the air and returned to Fu Ming's hand. He took it, picked up a cloth from the altar, and calmly wiped the blood from the blade.

"Tell me. Who are you?" Fu Ming's expression was unreadable.

Lin Yu's scalp tingled. She hadn't expected to run into anyone on the mountain in the dead of night—and not just anyone, but that unpredictable emperor. And on top of that, she'd stumbled upon such a royal secret.

She knew she couldn't hide it, so she stayed silent, staring at the neatly arranged bodies on the floor, feeling her own death was imminent.

Suddenly, Fu Ming stepped closer. Lin Yu instinctively shrank back. Then, several bamboo slips slid from her sleeve and clattered to the floor. Her body stiffened. Before she could react, Fu Ming grabbed them. These were the slips Lin Zhao had clutched in her hand before she died. Lin Yu hadn't had a chance to read them yet.

Fu Ming picked them up, gave them a cursory glance, and his expression changed. He then gathered the others one by one. Lin Yu didn't know what was written on them, but she knew that if Lin Zhao had guarded them so fiercely even in death, they must be something important.

Fu Ming examined the slips closely. Lin Yu spoke first: "These are my elder sister's belongings. Please, Your Majesty, return them." She extended her hand.

"You want to ascend?"

Lin Yu didn't understand his meaning, so she simply nodded.

"And your sister?"

Lin Yu pressed her lips into a thin line. After a long pause, she shook her head heavily.

"Dead. She died tonight." Her voice was so soft, barely audible even to herself.

She suddenly knelt. "Your Majesty, the grand empress dowager did not ascend. Perhaps you've also sensed the strangeness of the living sacrifices in the celestial realm! I am willing to serve Your Majesty. I don't believe in gods, but I want to cultivate the Dao. I want to go to the celestial realm and uncover the truth hidden within!"

Fu Ming changed the subject: "Do you know that in this world, there is not a single person who is not a believer of the gods?"

Lin Yu listened to the pounding of her own heart. "I only believe in myself."

"Boom!" A blinding white light flashed through the dim mourning hall as a thunderbolt struck, and a violent storm swept in.

Fu Ming stared at Lin Yu's loose strands of hair for a long moment. He placed the bamboo slips back in her hands. Finally, Lin Yu saw the characters on them.

The writing wasn't from the Yu Kingdom. She could only make out one line: "Kill the believers!"

Fu Ming said, "Tomorrow is the Moon God Festival. Go see the Prince Dai. I want you to obtain the Feixian Ling she holds."

The Feixian Ling was a talisman formed from the Moon God's dropped military token before his ascension. Legend said it could convert moonlight into endless cultivation power, helping mortals cultivate immortality. For years, countless people had sought it. How could it be in the hands of the Prince Dai?

"Heaven's Mandate Tower—since the previous Divine Maiden ascended, it's been twenty years. In all that time, the position of Divine Maiden has remained vacant." Fu Ming bent down, using a fortune slip to lift Lin Yu's chin, making her look up. "If you can accomplish this, I will support you. From now on, you will be the Divine Maiden of Heaven's Mandate Tower."

Lin Yu raised her eyes and met Fu Ming's gaze. Outside, lightning flashed and thunder roared; a storm was brewing.

The last Divine Maiden of Heaven's Mandate Tower was now the Rain Goddess, controlling the weather for all under heaven. Lin Yu wanted to become a god, and for that, she needed a massive following. This was a huge temptation.

With the identity of Divine Maiden, believers would flock to her endlessly. Ascension was only a matter of time.

But aside from Lin Zhao, Lin Yu had never interacted with cultivators. She hadn't even touched the threshold of the cultivation world, let alone being told to grab a divine artifact.

She wasn't sure she could do it. But after a moment's hesitation, Lin Yu nodded.

Lin Yu looked at Fu Ming's amber eyes through the swirling mist. Her gaze was resolute. As long as there was a chance, regardless of success or failure, life or death, she had to go.

...

The next day, following Fu Ming's clues, Lin Yu sat in a teahouse. From this vantage point, she had a clear view of the massive altar below—a perfect spot to watch the sacrifice.

The streets below the teahouse were packed with people. A huge iron cage was being carried through the crowd to the altar, amid a roar of voices. The person in the cage was someone she knew all too well—the daughter of General's Mansion. Lin Yu's gaze darkened.

That arrogant young lady was now stiffly huddled in a corner of the cage, dressed in ornate robes. As the cage jolted up to the altar, her head, unsupported, thudded against the iron bars with dull, repeated impacts.

They placed the cage at the very center. Then the priestesses who had been killed with peach wood stakes the night before were arranged in a circle around the cage, Lin Zhao among them.

Lin Yu watched from afar. Her blood-stained dress had been replaced with a pristine white one, and the blood on her face had been wiped clean. She still looked pure and flawless, as lifelike as ever.

Just as holy as the Lin Zhao in Lin Yu's memory.

"General Song was so devout in his worship of the Moon God. He must have been a pious man, surely already taken by the Moon God as an immortal by now, right? Maybe he's even watching today's ceremony with the Moon God! That would be a delightful tale."

Lin Yu turned her head to study the women separated by the folding screen. The speaker was the Prince Dai, along with a few young ladies from official families. The others echoed her sentiments.

"Can believers really ascend to heaven after death?" Lin Yu poked her head out, seeming quite interested. "Ladies, are you all also believers of the Moon God?"

Prince Dai turned back, and Lin Yu got a good look at her. She was an extremely gentle and dignified woman, beautiful in every gesture.

She seemed intrigued as well. She came around the screen to Lin Yu's side, and with the other ladies, sat down in front of her. Lin Yu's gaze flickered to the water-blue jade pendant at the princess's waist.

That was the Feixian Ling Fu Ming had mentioned. At first glance, this divine artifact looked like nothing more than a dull ornament, completely unremarkable on the prince.

At that moment, the ceremony officially began. Flames rose on the altar below. A large number of sacrificial victims were led up by ropes, and the fire spread outward from the iron cage.

The High Priestess on the platform, her face painted with colorful patterns, ascended the stage to preside over the ritual.

Prince Dai smiled brightly. "What's your name, miss? Do you have elders in your family who also worship the Moon God?"

Lin Yu's smile was warm, her face not even flushing as she spun the lie smoothly. "My surname is Fu. All the elders in my family are believers of the Moon God. Just the other day, I even offered a lantern with my family!"

Lin Yu smiled gently, and the women quickly fell into conversation. They went from the Moon God, who before his ascension was a great general of a neighboring kingdom who helped a fallen prince slay the traitorous minister and reclaim the throne, to how the Moon God had recently entered a believer's dream—they recounted nearly the Moon God's entire history. Lin Yu nodded along, occasionally chiming in with a word or two.

"Oh, sister, that jade of yours... I like it. Is it sapphire?" Lin Yu mentioned casually.

Prince Dai seemed not to hear, not answering, and continued enthusiastically discussing a new celestial artifact that had been circulating among the people. She looked quite pleased.

Lin Yu didn't dwell on the princess's deliberate evasion. She knew little about celestial artifacts, so she didn't speak again, quietly listening to their chatter, occasionally asking questions to keep the conversation lively.

They were all in high spirits, and as the sacrificial flames blazed and the ceremony proceeded smoothly, no one paid much attention to what was happening below. They were all thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Suddenly, a series of enormous bell tolls rang out. The piercing sound made Lin Yu's skin crawl. The Princess of Dai looked out the window.

Lin Yu had anticipated what was happening below, but when the princess saw it, her demeanor changed. Her face turned ashen, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

The ceremony had failed!

The bell formation surrounding the altar collapsed, and the fire rapidly spread beyond the altar, racing toward the watching crowd!

"Sister, what's wrong? Why has your face gone so pale?" Lin Yu supported the nearly fainting princess, gently patting her back to soothe her.

In an instant, chaos erupted in the crowd. The still-living sacrifices on the platform broke free of their ropes and fled toward the lower ground. Those tied too tightly crawled closer to the flames, trying to burn through the ropes to escape.

In the panic, people's clothes caught fire, they pushed and shoved, burning each other. Eventually, with no way out, they jumped into the river one after another!

General Song's daughter's corpse had already been burned to cinders. In the confusion, no one noticed that among the black ashes in the cage, a glowing jade pendant had been exposed—it was Lin Yu's pendant, which she had hidden in the cage before leaving.

The pendant was a gift from Lin Zhao, who had said it was a magical artifact that might save Lin Yu's life in a critical moment. And during the ritual, apart from the ritual-specific implements, no other magical artifacts were allowed to be present.

Because of this extra artifact, the bell formation the ritual had used was disrupted, and so the ceremony failed.

This was Lin Yu's plan all along.

"Ho—how can this be! How could the ceremony fail!" The Prince Dai grabbed the window frame, her eyes wide with fury, her expression growing increasingly sinister. The young ladies scattered in terror. No longer caring who was beside her, she grabbed Lin Yu by the throat and slammed her into the wooden screen!

Her delicate voice suddenly changed, turning into a male one: "You! Did you do this?!"

Lin Yu could barely breathe from the chokehold. She was certain the princess was possessed by something, but she had no cultivation knowledge. So she could only reach for the jade at the prince's waist.

She decided to grab the Feixian Ling first. But the moment she touched it, an icy sensation washed over her body like rippling water, and she was drawn into the Feixian Ling!

...

When Lin Yu opened her eyes again, she was in an old palace, surrounded by blood.

"Today, I, Xiao Wen, will slay the tyrant and the demon concubine!"

Lin Yu's heart jumped. Xiao Wen was the Moon God's mortal name before his ascension. She had been pulled into the Feixian Ling, and now she was encountering the still-mortal Moon God!

The sounds of battle and screams outside filled the air, reaching to the heavens.

She looked down at herself. She wore a golden crown with long tassels swaying, and robes embroidered with moon patterns. Many officials in court attire knelt below.

And in her arms lay the emperor, who had just crashed into a pillar, still clinging to life. The horrifying hole in his forehead was gruesome.

Wait... was the "demon concubine" Xiao Wen mentioned... her?!

He breathed weakly, tears in his eyes: "A Si, it is I who have wronged you. The deaths of two hundred thousand people in Liangcheng are my fault..."

Before he could finish, Xiao Wen, leading his men, stepped over mountains of corpses and seas of blood into the hall. He gave the order: "Kill!"

Xiao Wen's sharp sword flew straight at Lin Yu!