Chapter 77

Bathed in the first rays of dawn, the fiery red morning sun spilled across the battered city wall, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow across the rough ancient battlements while tree branches swayed in the wind.

A few crisp bells rang out with the morning watch, and guards gathered in twos and threes beneath the city gate. It didn't take long before someone noticed something wrong—a swaying shadow had appeared on the ground beneath their feet.

It looked like something round had been tied to the city gate with a net. The guards looked up, and the moment they did, several of them scrambled into the city, shouting for help.

There, at the edge of the towering gate, beneath the wooden plaque carved with the words "Twilight City," hung a long rope. Tied to the end of that rope was... a human head!

The head was frozen in a hideous grimace, eyes wide open—clearly dead without finding peace.

Twilight City was built along the water, and strong winds always blew in the early morning. No sooner had the guards run off than a freak gust of wind picked up.

The gale swept up the head at the city wall, trying to carry it away—but the rope held fast, yanking it back. Again and again it slammed against the rough stone surface, each thud like the drumbeat of an unavenged wrong.

By the time the Moon God arrived at Twilight City, this was the sight that greeted him: gusting winds, a dangling head, scraping loose stone and sand as it sank lower with each impact.

The Moon God could barely contain his excitement. A grin tugged at his lips. "Come, Xin Tong. Let's go meet her. I want to see just who this Lin Jiyue really is."

Xin Tong bowed his head and followed behind the Moon God. "My lord, I'm afraid we can't go today. Have you forgotten? Today is the Spring Sacrifice. The followers of Nanshan are still waiting for you. The altar is already prepared—you should be on your way."

The Moon God frowned. "Then let them wait. They're just mortals. If I don't show today, will they stop worshiping me tomorrow? They're nothing but ants. If they die, I can always find more. What's the big deal?"

Xin Tong lowered his eyes, his lashes drooping submissively. "Yes, my lord."

"Which way did she run?" the Moon God asked.

Xin Tong scanned the area for a moment before settling on a direction. He pointed it out to the Moon God. "My lord, over there. About eighty li away. She hasn't gone far, but—"

"But what?"

"There's another presence with her..." Xin Tong thought for a moment. "No, not a person... it's—"

He carefully sniffed out the unusual trace lingering in the air, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't identify what it was. He finally gave up. "This one is incompetent. I couldn't guess what kind of creature is by her side, but the aura is definitely not benevolent."

The Moon God didn't care. "Who cares? Not benevolent? Then I'll beat it into being benevolent. Let's go!"

With that, the two of them transformed into a streak of light and shot off in the direction Xin Tong had indicated.

...

"Hey, has anyone ever told you that mask of yours is seriously ugly and scary? Where did you even buy something that hideous? And anyway, we've come this far—why are you still wearing it?" Di Ting complained. "Every time I turn around and see your face, it frightens me."

The two of them stopped beneath a willow tree by the riverbank. Ahead of them, a hundred-year-old stone bridge arched across the water. Though this was a bustling district, perhaps because the sun hadn't fully risen yet, the streets were empty this early in the morning.

Lin Yu glanced back into the distance. Her intuition had never failed her. "Who said no one's here? Someone's chasing us."

Di Ting had been resting on a stone block, but at those words he sprang up, every alarm bell ringing. "Who?! Where?!"

Lin Yu: "I don't know. I'm guessing."

Today was the Spring Sacrifice, and she'd hung Immortal Lord He's head on the walls of Twilight City in broad daylight. Though there weren't many temples around Twilight City, those that existed were major ones—and according to what the Ghost King had said before, every temple in the area was bound to have a god residing within.

She hadn't hung the head up for the mortals to see. She'd done it to lure in the nearby gods.

Gods were extremely sensitive to these things. If a heavenly god died, someone was bound to notice. So it would definitely draw their attention—and if someone with the right instincts came along, they'd follow the scent of god's blood to track her down. That was why she hadn't bothered to conceal her aura along the way.

Actually, she knew it wouldn't have mattered even if she'd tried. She could probably handle low-ranking scattered immortals, but if an upper god showed up, hiding or not made no difference—they'd find her anyway, so why bother?

"You know that's really creepy, right—"

"I was guessing before, but now it's coming true, isn't it?" Lin Yu raised an eyebrow and nodded for Di Ting to look in the other direction.

Sure enough, a beam of moonlight-white radiance tore through the air, streaking across the sky like a meteor at terrifying speed. Clearly a powerful upper god.

As it drew closer, the beam descended to the ground, landing right in front of Lin Yu. She once again saw the familiar robes and that loathsome face.

Lin Yu straightened her mask, pretending not to recognize the man before her. She spoke cautiously: "Who are you?"

The Moon God didn't answer. He studied Lin Yu's face—masked and disguised as it was—and after a long look, he let out a sneer. "And here I thought that Immortal Lord He had some real ability. To foresee the future, with such heaven-reaching power, and yet it all fell to a minor immortal without amounting to anything."

He was referring to the portrait Immortal Lord He had painted back then. He'd seen that face in a dream and assumed it was Lin Jiyue's true appearance. But a dream was just a dream—he didn't have the cultivation or power to sustain his prophetic visions. The dream had been hazy, and he'd been fooled. He'd wasted a tremendous amount of time and energy searching for someone who didn't even exist.

Lin Yu repeated in a low voice, "Who are you? State your name."

The Moon God asked her instead: "So you're Lin Jiyue?"

A question with an obvious answer. Lin Yu couldn't be bothered to play along. She admitted it outright: "That's me."

Lin Yu stared at him. The Snow God had once told her that the Moon God had always believed Lin Jiyue was still alive, and that he wanted to ally with her—to have her help him kill certain gods.

And Lin Yu also intended to disguise herself as the Moon God's co-conspirator, using him as a stepping stone to the Nine Heavens.

All she needed to do now was make the Moon God believe in her—make him see her as a useful ally who fit his expectations.

The Moon God had always been arrogant and looked down on everything. The ally he needed wouldn't be some timid, cautious type. Birds of a feather flock together—he and the Crimson God were cut from the same cloth, except the Crimson God was even more insolent.

And now, if Lin Yu wanted to join their ranks, she had to fit in. She had to become just as arrogant and overbearing as they were.

"Which god are you? Since you know my name, then you must also know... Immortal Lord He?" Lin Yu got straight to the point.

The Moon God rarely smiled, but now he did. "So you really did kill Immortal Lord He. A mortal slaying a god—do you have any idea how great a crime that is?"

Lin Yu looked utterly indifferent. "No idea."

"What's the punishment? Eighteen levels of hell after death or something?"

"No need for that." The Moon God opened his folding fan and waved it a couple of times, the breeze catching the hair at his temples. Xin Tong stood behind him with his head bowed, silent, with the meek, timid look of a servant. Lin Yu discreetly sized up this little immortal attendant following the Moon God.

The Moon God waved his hand, and the attendant handed him a black cloth bag. Lin Yu didn't need to guess what was inside. The Moon God glanced at her, then tossed the bag over.

Lin Yu caught it, but without a moment's hesitation—in one smooth motion, the instant her fingers touched the opening—she tossed the black bag containing Immortal Lord He's head into the rushing river beside them.

Lin Yu brushed the filth off her hands and said disdainfully, "Don't toss your garbage at me."

Lin Yu's blatant arrogance matched almost exactly the personality the Moon God had imagined for Lin Jiyue. To openly admit killing a god right in front of a deity, then casually toss the evidence into the roaring currents—

A person who dared to kill a god ought to be exactly like this. Fearless of any consequence, in awe of no deity. In her eyes, gods were no different from anything else in the world. If they could be killed, then nothing was a problem—nothing at all deserved her regard.

He smiled, satisfied. "I am the Moon God, Qi Yuan."

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow. "Qi Yuan?"

Before ascending, all gods were mortals, and every one of them had a name from their mortal days. Historical records of later generations often noted the former names of various gods.

During those dozen or so days with Elder Wen, Lin Yu had combed through the pasts of virtually every living god—including the Moon God. But perhaps because the Moon God's home country had been destroyed, no records contained his name.

Most gods went by their divine titles rather than their mortal names. This was the first time a god had introduced himself to her by name.

A name—to Lin Yu, it was a delicate thing. It was proof that a mortal had lived out their life. The Book of Destiny and the Register of Life and Death both recorded names, and she herself had survived to this day by using a fake one.

The Moon God continued, "Murdering an immortal lord—surely you admit to that crime?"

Lin Yu: "No."

Xin Tong, following behind, finally looked up at Lin Yu. "How can you deny it? You were just holding Immortal Lord He's head—"

"You said it yourself. Just now." Lin Yu cut him off, pointing at the river beneath their feet. "And now?"

The water beneath the stone bridge moved fast, already sweeping Immortal Lord He's head away to who knew where. It might have shattered against a boulder by now. Either way, there was no evidence left.

Xin Tong was stunned. He'd never seen someone destroy evidence right in front of another person like this. He stepped forward, opening his mouth. "You—"

Xin Tong was a boy of thirteen or fourteen, a bit shorter than Lin Yu. She grabbed his shoulder and shoved him aside. "Don't block the way. Since nothing happened, we'll be going now."

Di Ting hurried to follow Lin Yu. They'd only taken a few steps when a golden light materialized in front of them, barring their path.

"I say, upper god, this is where you're wrong. You have no evidence, and no real authority. What right do you have to stop me? Unless... you're the God of Justice?" Lin Yu taunted without even turning around.

The God of Justice was the Judge of the Nine Heavens. Since most grudges among gods were settled privately, and the odds of feuding with mortals were even lower, the God of Justice was essentially a sinecure with the power to mete out punishment. Lin Yu had once skimmed the Judge's biography and remembered that he'd been a prime minister before ascending.

The Moon God snapped his fan shut, skipping straight past the question about the God of Justice. His tone turned serious. "Seeing as this is your first offense, do me a favor. Accomplish the task, and I'll spare your life."

But threats had no effect on Lin Yu. "Is that how you ask someone for a favor?"

"Lord Moon God, I'm someone who fears threats the least. When you ask for help, you state what I get out of it first. If you offer me terms I want, then maybe I'll agree to your request."

Xin Tong was thoroughly enraged now. What he couldn't stand most was anyone repeatedly showing disrespect to the Moon God. "What kind of attitude is that?! You think you're worthy of negotiating with our lord?!"

Lin Yu shot Xin Tong a glance. He was a far cry from the timid attendant who'd just been shuffling behind them with his head down.

"Fine, then we don't negotiate." Lin Yu gave Di Ting a look, signaling him to break through the barrier before them. Lin Yu's strength could hold her own against an upper immortal, but she wasn't enough to clash head-on with an upper god. She might not be able to break the barrier herself—and if she failed, she'd lose all leverage to bargain with the Moon God.

After all, the strong never cared about the weak. But Di Ting might manage it. And it was just a containment barrier anyway—surely not too difficult.

Di Ting caught on immediately. He shot a sidelong glance at the Moon God behind him, his heart quaking. He hadn't left the Underworld in ten thousand years, so he didn't know exactly how strong an upper god of the Nine Heavens should be—but the title "upper god" alone sounded formidable. He'd have to break it in one strike, or he'd lose face badly.

Di Ting drew a deep breath, mustering his spiritual power into his palm. He closed his eyes and struck the golden barrier with everything he had. A thunderous boom rang out—and it wasn't just the barrier that shattered. The stone bridge beneath their feet collapsed along with it!

In an instant, the bridge that had stood for a hundred years crumbled into dust, scattering into the raging river below!

Lin Yu stared at Di Ting in disbelief, her gaze screaming: Are you serious?!

She grabbed Di Ting by the arm and launched into the air, flying toward the shore. The Moon God and Xin Tong followed suit. All four of them landed on the bank, staring at the collapsed bridge, momentarily stunned.

For a long moment, no one spoke. The silence was deafening.

The Moon God's look at Lin Yu grew more complicated. If even a servant following her had that much power, how strong was she herself?

The Moon God cleared his throat. After a long pause, he finally said, "Tell me, then. What terms do you want from me?"

"I want..." Lin Yu paused. The Moon God couldn't see the smile curling behind her mask. She spoke with effortless ease.

"I want the God of War's life in exchange."