Chapter 42

Lin Yu's pupils constricted. The demonic path had always been reviled by the world. How could Fu Ming possibly cultivate the demonic path...

The God of Glory laughed. "He's burdened with grave sins. He's the one who deserves to die most, you know?"

The God of Glory's words suddenly clicked for Lin Yu—when trapped in the Moon God's Li Kingdom illusion, Fu Ming clearly had cultivation and spells, but after entering the illusion, they all disappeared.

Yet Yu Jia, Zhang Yulin, and Zhou Yuan were completely unaffected.

That illusion targeted Lin Yu, hence sealing her memories. If Fu Ming had merely been caught up unintentionally, why would only his magic be sealed... Lin Yu had never pondered it deeply.

But according to The God of Glory's claim, everything made sense. Fu Ming's cultivation wasn't orthodox; naturally, it would be suppressed within a deity's illusion.

Or perhaps... Lin Yu's heart skipped a beat. Perhaps Fu Ming's magic hadn't been sealed at all. Rather, he feared the Moon God detecting traces of the demonic path and courting trouble, so he never used his magic!

No, Lin Yu shook her head. That was just The God of Glory's one-sided claim.

Lin Yu approached The God of Glory with the God-Slaying Spike and asked again, "Where is the Snow Mirror?"

Seeing that Lin Yu didn't believe him, The God of Glory said no more, merely sneering coldly.

"Not talking? Then keeping you is pointless. Lu Yao, come here."

At the mention of Lu Yao's name, The God of Glory's eyes widened slightly. He turned his head toward the door and, sure enough, saw a thin woman walking stiffly toward the temple step by step, followed by a lame youth.

The two easily passed through the defensive barrier and entered. Lu Yao walked respectfully to Lin Yu's side. "Please instruct me."

Lu Yao's eyes were hollow, as if her soul had long departed. The God of Glory stared at her intently. Her body carried no life force—she was clearly a corpse.

In a daze, The God of Glory caught sight of a fragment of the shattered Rain Goddess statue on the ground. A bolt of thought shot through his memory, and he suddenly recalled that the Rain Goddess had once practiced a resurrected puppet art.

At that moment, The God of Glory realized that tonight was a thoroughly orchestrated trap. Lin Yu had let Lu Yao roam free to stir up trouble, luring him out. The Rain Goddess Temple, the God-Slaying Spike—everything was her plan!

She had schemed a divine-killing play from the start, just waiting for him to take the bait!

At this thought, he suddenly laughed with relief. "I have no grievance against you. Why plot against me?"

Lin Yu: "You need not know why."

Even as she spoke, Lin Yu suddenly thrust the God-Slaying Spike into The God of Glory's chest! The spike sank deeper and deeper, cold blood bursting forth. In an instant, golden light blazed within the dim Rain Goddess Temple as The God of Glory's cultivation gradually dissipated into the air, turning to nothing.

"Ah!" The God of Glory screamed in agony, feeling as if his body were falling into the void, all that he was dissolving.

Just as he was about to plummet to the depths, Lin Yu withdrew the spike, leaving him with one last breath. Judging that The God of Glory might live a few more hours, Lin Yu's crisp voice rang out: "Tie him up."

The God of Glory, barely conscious, was bound to the pillar in the temple. Lin Yu tossed a dagger to Lu Yao. "Kill him, and then..."

The God of Glory struggled to stay awake, straining to hear what Lin Yu told Lu Yao. He fought with all his might to keep his eyelids from closing, but the words that came froze him to the core.

"Kill him, and then... you take your own life."

Lin Yu's voice was cold as ice, devoid of any emotion. "I'll bury you both properly and toss you into the Golden River to feed the fish."

"As for the Snow Mirror... if it's lost, so be it."

The God of Glory finally realized that Lin Yu was deliberately tormenting him. She'd left him with a final breath so that Lu Yao would kill him with her own hands.

This was a deliberate, emotional slaughter aimed at him.

The God of Glory's voice choked. His eyes drooped, brimming with tears, and he spoke haltingly: "S-Snow Mirror... once I die, without its magic, the snow will stop in a couple of days. Spare Yao Niang... leave her a whole corpse... spare me... don't let her kill me..."

The God of Glory could accept his own death—anyone could kill him—but it couldn't be Lu Yao. He thought that he and Lu Yao were each other's most beloved; if Lu Yao were still alive, she could never bring herself to kill him.

He felt that making two people who loved each other commit murder against one another was simply too cruel.

"She... she's timid. Don't let her kill me..."

Lin Yu's voice rang out faintly as she scrutinized the dying deity. "Where is the Snow Mirror? Hand it over, and I'll spare Lu Yao."

"It's... ugh!" A flash of cold light, and The God of Glory's words were cut short.

Lin Yu's brow twitched. Lu Yao's eyes were icy, her brow carrying a barely perceptible, genuine hatred. She rushed forward and stabbed The God of Glory through the body!

Then another stab! Overwhelming hatred surged, and uncontrollable emotions restored some of Lu Yao's awareness. She broke free from Lin Yu's control, stabbing The God of Glory again and again in a frenzy.

Lu Yao muttered through her teeth, "Die! You deserve to die! Die!"

"Lu Yao? Lu Yao!" Lin Yu called twice, but Lu Yao didn't respond.

The God of Glory's eyes stayed open as he watched Lu Yao's actions, but all he could see was the twisted hatred on his former lover's face.

Seeing Lu Yao lose control, Lin Yu did not hesitate and cut her down with a single stroke of her sword.

As Lu Yao fell, The God of Glory also lost his cultivation and expired. Both died with their eyes wide open.

A star fell in the distant sky, streaking across the heavens. It was all over.

The vermilion Soul-Renewing Pill separated from Lu Yao's body and fell to the ground. Lin Yu picked it up and tucked it away.

Within the temple, golden light still flickered. As the deity with the most believers in the world, The God of Glory's cultivation seemed endless, permeating the air and seeping into the bodies of those present.

Zhou Yu stepped out from a corner. He produced a small porcelain bottle from somewhere and uncorked it; instantly, the remaining cultivation floating in the temple was drawn into his bottle.

The Snow God was somewhat distraught, and he spoke weakly, "Then what about my Snow Mirror..."

They had planned to use Lu Yao to provoke him and coax out the Snow Mirror's location, but he died before revealing it—only saying the snow would stop—before Lu Yao's hatred erupted and she butchered him...

Lin Yu felt a bit guilty for failing to control Lu Yao, leading to The God of Glory's rapid death. She said, "Do you have other divine artifacts?"

Snow God: "No."

Lin Yu: ...

...

The next day, the snow visibly lightened. Traces of pedestrians began to appear on the streets, and the white snow was cleared aside by their passage.

Hu Sheng had left early that morning, only saying they'd meet again. He left nothing behind, and Lin Yu and her group didn't know where he'd gone.

Lin Yu had been stabbed in the chest, and decades of cultivation had turned to naught. Zhang Yulin and Zhou Yu suffered minor injuries and needed time to recuperate.

The God of Glory's tampering with the people's fortunes and the counterfeiting case—all the events uncovered by it—had been resolved. The group planned to wait until the snow stopped before leaving Jiangnan.

"Hey, you know what? It's really strange. This morning before setting up my stall, I paid respects to The God of Glory. Somehow, the statue I'd kept at home for years suddenly shattered!"

"How can that be? A broken statue is a great taboo!"

"You'd better go buy a new one and worship at The God of Glory's temple to ward off the misfortune."

"..."

Lin Yu wore a thick cloak. Listening to the passersby's chatter, the cold wind blew against her face, the tip of her nose slightly reddened. She pulled the cloak tighter, hurried across the street, and headed north toward the dungeon.

In the damp, dark dungeon was the ritual master from the previous night's ceremony, now chained to the iron bars, unable to move.

The night before, after killing The God of Glory, they had discovered him in a haystack near the Rain Goddess Temple before leaving. Their eyes met, and Yu Jia immediately seized him.

After interrogation, they learned he had followed Lin Yu's group, witnessing the entire god-killing plan.

He was badly frightened, now appearing shell-shocked, leaning listlessly against the iron bars. His clothes were thin, and he stood motionless, seemingly oblivious to the cold.

Lin Yu approached the jailer and asked, "Has he confessed everything?"

The jailer replied respectfully, "All that you instructed has been obtained."

Lin Yu waved the jailer out. Soon, only she and the ritual master remained.

Lin Yu: "Look up. Tell me again—what did you see last night?"

The ritual master stared blankly at Lin Yu. "Last night... the Rain Goddess's last trace of consciousness awakened and manifested from the statue, slaying The God of Glory. But because her spirit was unstable, she perished along with him."

Lin Yu nodded approvingly. "The common folk who took part in the ritual last night—do you still remember who they were?"

The ritual master smoothed his hair and sat up a bit straighter. "I remember. They were all neighbors from Wutong Lane."

Lin Yu: "Remember to explain this clearly to them, and also..." Lin Yu let her voice trail off without finishing.

A half-spoken sentence cut off. The ritual master looked up at Lin Yu, but the moment he met her gaze, the woman's face before him merged with the likeness of the deity-killer from last night. He lowered his head in fright, not daring to look again, and asked quietly, "And what else?"

Lin Yu lowered her eyelashes and smiled softly. She studied his furtive, weasel-like appearance and said gently, "I'll tell you a secret, but you must never repeat it."

Lin Yu beckoned the ritual master closer. He leaned in, half-doubtful. "Speak."

Lin Yu's smile widened. She knew this man would definitely spread the word. But because he feared her, he wouldn't dare spread it recklessly, so the rumor wouldn't go wild—it would only circulate privately.

The masses would know in their hearts but wouldn't bring it into the open—that was exactly the level Lin Yu wanted.

Lin Yu: "I'll tell you this..."

Lin Yu's gentle words entered the ritual master's ears one by one. As he listened, his eyes grew wider and wider, his mind buzzing. He could hardly believe what he heard, completely unable to control his expression.

Lin Yu, seeing his stunned look, called out, "Someone, release him."

Soon, someone came to open the cell door and drag him out. The ritual master was held by two jailers, his legs too weak to support him as he was dragged along the ground. After a bit, as if waking from a dream, he turned his head to look for Lin Yu, but she had already left at some point.

...

In the adjacent cell, Fu Ming watched Lin Yu walk in smiling, in a good mood. Fu Ming stared at her, lost in thought.

Fu Ming pointed at Xie Wu and asked, "Release him, or not?"

After all, they had previously agreed: if Xie Wu found Lu Yao, they'd spare his life and let him go.

Lin Yu: "First ask him why he hated the other members of the Xie family so much." When rushed for time earlier, Lin Yu hadn't delved into why he hated them so deeply—what the Xies had done to make this pampered young master willing to slaughter the entire household and strike out on his own.

Fu Ming repeated Lin Yu's words to Xie Wu. Xie Wu suddenly laughed—an eerie laugh.

But having witnessed what these two were capable of—even killing deities—he had no intention of holding back with Lin Yu. After all, if he didn't talk, Lin Yu had plenty of ways to make him.

Xie Wu laughed uncontrollably, then raised his head and stared straight at Lin Yu. "They're not my family at all! They're a pack of demons come to claim my life!"

"Do you know my father—that renowned Master Xie? How he's a 'great benefactor' in the eyes of common folk? Do you know how old he really is? He's lived for hundreds of years! He's a monster, a spirit!"

Lin Yu and Fu Ming exchanged a glance. Lin Yu frowned. "Hundreds of years?"

Xie Wu was about to continue when Zhang Wu suddenly appeared outside, his face anxious. "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened—the Princess Consort of Dai..."

At the mention of "Princess Consort of Dai," Lin Yu turned to look. "Zhou Yuan? What happened to her?"

Zhang Wu: "She killed Prince Dai and has been taken into custody."