Chapter 35

Lin Yu turned around to find Fu Ming holding up a fire starter, its bright flame illuminating the entire cave.

Lin Yu: "If you had a fire starter, why did you wait until now to bring it out?"

Fu Ming looked bewildered. "You didn't ask..."

Lin Yu: "..."

"Sis, what's this?"

Lin Yu turned and saw Nunu pointing to a small figure on the mural. The figure, bald-headed, was bound to a gallows with a pile of firewood at its feet. Nearby, another figure held a torch, ready to light the wood.

It seemed they intended to burn the bald figure alive. The bald figure was surrounded by a crowd, all pressing in to witness its grim fate.

This was the lowest corner of the mural. Lin Yu's gaze traveled to the top, taking in the entire narrative. The image in the far corner marked the story's end.

Lin Yu pressed against the wall, tracing the faded colors. She studied the mural line by line, piecing together the tale.

The first painting at the top showed an endless sea with a small boat drifting on it, carrying two infants in swaddling clothes. The waves pushed them toward the deep sea, and villagers could be faintly seen kneeling on the shore in prayer.

The scene shifted to countless fishing boats capsizing in stormy waves. Offerings and prayers were useless; the boats sank, and everything plunged into the depths of the ocean.

Then, the villagers, enraged, swore to no longer worship the Sea God. They hauled out his idol and cast it into the sea. A young woman in red hid behind the crowd, watching it all.

Next, the Sea God appeared and slaughtered the entire village, sparing not even the livestock. Everywhere he went was carnage. The girl in red, in desperation, jumped into the sea and escaped.

When she returned to shore, the village she once knew was a ruin, with no survivors. She sat by the sea all night, the scene fading to pure black.

The second row burst with vivid colors. The girl in red had left the fishing village for a city. She wandered aimlessly through the bustling streets until she stumbled upon a Sea God Temple. She looked up at the sign reading "Sea God Temple," stunned for a long moment, then stepped inside.

From then on, she came to the temple every day to worship, praying before the idol, performing three kowtows and nine prostrations day and night, offering incense and chanting scriptures. She also began spreading the Sea God's saving deeds to the city's folk.

"The Sea God will protect every traveler and bring them home safely," she declared, and the saying spread.

Soon, the once-deserted temple became crowded. People came for every occasion, seeking the Sea God's guidance. The Sea God gained countless followers, rising from an obscure deity to a prominent figure.

In the dim scene, the girl in red still knelt devoutly before the idol when it transformed. The Sea God appeared before her.

Moved by her sincerity, the two fell in love.

Tian Zun was furious upon hearing this. A union between a god and a mortal violated heavenly law. He ordered them to be separated and set up a new Thunder Array.

Lin Yu's gaze followed the paintings downward. By the third row, the girl was surrounded by heavenly thunder. Over a dozen bolts struck her, and she endured them all, crawling her way up to the Nine Heavens to see Tian Zun.

Tian Zun, shocked, finally relented. Since the mortal showed such perseverance, he said nothing more and granted her the status of a celestial attendant. The girl and the Sea God were finally together. The Sea God's face radiated joy, but he did not see the murderous intent hidden in her smile.

Then the girl began learning spells and forging divine artifacts. A hundred years passed, as she trained tirelessly day and night, studied ancient texts, and eventually achieved great cultivation. She also forged a cone-shaped artifact.

Lin Yu's gaze locked on the artifact in the mural. This was... the God-Slaying Spike!

The story reached the final row—the part Nunu had pointed to. The first painting showed the girl and the Sea God engaged in a fierce battle on the Execution Terrace. In the end, she drove the God-Slaying Spike into his heart and pushed him off the terrace.

The Sea God was utterly destroyed, his soul not entering reincarnation. Tian Zun discovered her deed of killing a god in the Nine Heavens and cast her down to the mortal realm. The God-Slaying Spike fell through the clouds, buried within them.

The girl's crime was proclaimed to the world. She was shaved bald and bound to the gallows. Countless people gathered to witness the tragic end of the woman who dared to kill a god.

The story ended in blazing fire.

Lin Yu and Fu Ming stood before the mural in silence. After a long moment, Lin Yu spoke. "Don't you think this story sounds familiar?"

Fu Ming: "The folk tales really twist the truth and mislead people."

This was the story Yu Jia had mentioned—a mortal and a god in love, enduring the Heart-Testing Thunder Array, ascending to the Nine Heavens, and living with the god for a hundred years.

The so-called heart-testing was meant to prove one's resolve. But everyone overlooked that love's equal opposite, equally intense, is hate.

Lin Yu pressed the God-Slaying Spike against the mural. Unlike in the painting, the spike now bore an addition: a dense layer of the Rain God's aura. The Rain God had found the spike and modified it.

Now, the God-Slaying Spike had greater power and no spell restrictions. It no longer required immense cultivation to wield.

A hundred years ago, the girl in red had needed a century of cultivation to activate it. Now, a mere mortal like Lu Yao, with no strength to truss a chicken, could easily use it to kill the Rain God.

Lin Yu closed her eyes. Suddenly, she sensed a different aura!

Alarm bells rang. She hid the spike and assumed a defensive stance.

Just then, a man draped in gold ornaments, radiating splendor, pushed aside the vines at the cave entrance and stepped in. He took in the three people inside, then fixed his gaze on Lin Yu.

The God of Glory gave Lin Yu a polite nod and asked, "Miss, have you seen Miss Lu Yao of the Lu residence?"

The God of Glory had seen Lin Yu and Lu Yao together at the Lu estate. Though Lin Yu had seen him and Lu Yao at night, she'd only caught a glimpse of his back before Fu Ming covered her eyes. Strictly speaking, this was her first clear look at the God of Glory's face.

Seeing that he seemed unaware of Lu Yao's death, she decided to deceive him. "Lu Yao? I saw her this morning. Who are you to her?"

The God of Glory: "I'm her husband."

Lin Yu feigned confusion, lying without batting an eye. "Sir, don't joke around. I've never heard that Lu Yao married."

The God of Glory stepped closer, his expression shifting. "Did she say anything to you this morning?"

Lin Yu sensed his displeasure. After a few exchanges, she had a rough measure of his temperament.

She casually spun a lie. "Lu Yao said she felt guilty about something, but she didn't say what."

"Then she went to the Rain Goddess Temple to worship, and I didn't see her again."

The God of Glory's eyes darkened. "She truly entered the Rain Goddess Temple?"

Lin Yu: "Yes. Doesn't she go every day?"

Lu Yao's daily visits to the temple were common knowledge among the neighbors.

The God of Glory stood frozen, lost in thought. He glanced up and noticed the mural behind Lin Yu, but paid it no mind. Without another word, he turned and left.

Once he was gone, Fu Ming suddenly said, "Lu Yao's body is still up there."

Lin Yu remained calm. "I fed her the Soul-Renewing Pill. Her aura is now indistinguishable from a revenant's. The cliff top is covered in revenant corpses. Unless the God of Glory goes through every single one, he won't find Lu Yao."

And given how impatient and antsy he seemed, there was no way he'd take the trouble to sift through corpses.

Lin Yu dusted herself off, took Nunu's hand, and said to Fu Ming, "Let's go."

Fu Ming didn't follow her logic. "Go where?"

Lin Yu: "To collect the dead on the cliff top."

After a few steps, she added as if just remembering, "How many men did you bring? Enough for corpse collection?"

Fu Ming: "..."

He felt that every time he went out with Lin Yu, he ended up doing corpse duty...

Lin Yu was also quite conscientious—she thought of giving the dead a proper burial everywhere she went.

Lin Yu's magic was suppressed, but Fu Ming's wasn't, so he brought her and Nunu back up to the cliff edge.

As soon as they reached the top, they saw Zhang Wu and a group of Mingzhao Guards waiting.

At the sight of Fu Ming, Zhang Wu led the others in kneeling. "Long live Your Majesty."

Fu Ming brushed the dust from his clothes and walked through the crowd. He said to Zhang Wu, "See the bodies on the ground?"

Zhang Wu respectfully replied, "Your Majesty's orders?"

Fu Ming: "Collect them, clean them up, and take them down the mountain."

Zhang Wu: "Understood."

Soon, the Mingzhao Guards began working in orderly fashion. Lin Yu sat to the side, chin in hand, watching as Zhang Wu placed the Soul-Renewing Pill into a small box.

Meanwhile, the guards produced body bags from somewhere and deftly began collecting the remains.

Lin Yu scanned each body. Suddenly, something felt off. She asked, "Did any of you collect a young woman's corpse?"

At her words, everyone exchanged glances and shook their heads, saying they hadn't seen one.

Zhang Wu sensed something wrong and quickly went to check the closed body bags.

Lin Yu inspected each one, her brow furrowing deeper. After checking the last bag, she pressed her lips together.

"Lu Yao's body is missing..."