Chapter 79

"Her?" The Moon God said, "She's a troublesome one. Killing her is easy, yet not easy."

Lin Yu asked, "Why do you say that? Is she very strong?"

"No, not at all. When I descended to the mortal realm a few days ago, I inquired about her recent situation. She's nothing but an incompetent." The Moon God looked Lin Yu up and down, his gaze finally settling on her face. "She's far inferior to you. Killing her would be no challenge. But she's insidious—she might scheme against you."

"Her cultivation is mediocre. Even if she were to luck into ascending, she'd only be a minor immortal, and that would be the result of the entire Heaven's Mandate Tower propping her up. Meaningless. If you deal with her, you must be careful. She's like a snake hiding in the shadows, crawling out to bite when you least expect it. Not a real threat, but utterly exasperating."

"Very well. Within a month, I'll kill her and take her place." Lin Yu met the Moon God's eyes squarely. "But I hope you won't forget our bargain, Lord Moon God. Once I kill her, you'll give me the God of War's life in exchange."

"Naturally." The Moon God waved to Xin Tong, who was standing under a tree not far away. "Since we've reached an understanding, I won't see you out. It's getting late—I need to attend the Moon God Temple's sacrifice."

"If the situation changes, you can find me at the Moon God Temple." The Moon God resumed his lofty, all-powerful demeanor. "Farewell. Don't disappoint me."

Xin Tong trotted over, his demeanor once again as reserved as when they first met. He followed behind the Moon God, head bowed, silent. Lin Yu's gaze lingered briefly on the strands of hair at the top of Xin Tong's head, but she quickly looked away. She didn't say anything more and flew off straight toward a nearby city.

Di Ting hadn't even arrived when he saw Lin Yu already flying away. He immediately took off after her. Only the Moon God and Xin Tong remained behind.

The Moon God's expression turned serious. He spoke flatly, "Go, follow them. See who they really are."

Xin Tong bowed his head to the Moon God. "Yes, my lord."

...

Lin Yu landed on a tall building, and Di Ting followed close behind. The two stood on the eaves of a tavern, looking down at the bustling crowd in the city.

Di Ting looked puzzled. "This isn't the direction back to our place. What are we doing here?"

Lin Yu said, "Someone's still following us. We need to shake them off before we leave."

"Someone?" Di Ting realized immediately. "You mean Xin Tong? Poor kid—he's so young, having to follow the Moon God. He doesn't want to do the Moon God's dirty work, but he has no choice. It's really pitiful."

Lin Yu turned her head to look at Di Ting, who didn't notice anything odd and kept talking to himself. "He said once he sheds his identity as a divine attendant and becomes an immortal, he'll be free and won't have to do so many things against his will anymore..."

Lin Yu frowned as she listened. Xin Tong was clearly on the Moon God's side. As for Di Ting's claim about being coerced, Lin Yu thought it utterly impossible. On the surface, Xin Tong seemed humble, but he also showed a slight boldness in front of the Moon God—for instance, when Lin Yu made her request to kill the God of War, Xin Tong deliberately stepped between them to disrupt their conversation.

He clearly knew that the demand to kill the God of War was unfavorable to the Moon God and dangerous for him. Even though having the Moon God kill the Crimson God was itself a difficult task, Xin Tong favored the Moon God. He didn't want the Moon God to suffer any loss, which was why he acted that way.

Lin Yu had easily convinced Di Ting because he was a divine beast. He'd spent tens of thousands of years in the underworld, never seeing the outside world or the complexities of human hearts. So giving him a bit of guidance and promising him some benefits was enough to persuade him to become her ally.

If Lin Yu could do it, so could others. Xin Tong clearly saw this, which was why he said those things. Since Lin Yu had promised to help Di Ting become the Ghost King, she couldn't cut off his contact with outsiders. But the worst part was that as soon as Di Ting had contact with anyone, it was highly likely he'd listen to them and be turned against her.

Di Ting was clearly an unpredictable factor. He lacked the ability to think for himself—he believed whatever anyone said, and with a little manipulation, he could be used. Di Ting's identity and abilities were fine as long as he stayed hidden in the underworld, never showing his face. But once he appeared in the outside world, he didn't even need to do anything—people would swarm in to lure him with offers.

A clouded mind paired with unmatched cultivation was a recipe for disaster. If she couldn't control him, she'd have to destroy him in time. Otherwise, it would bring endless trouble.

Lin Yu looked at Di Ting, hesitating. "You believe him? Does he look even a bit like someone being coerced?"

Di Ting said, "I don't think so. He seemed pretty scared of the Moon God, not even daring to lift his head. Just like when I was following that dead Zhu You—it was so stifling..."

"Hey, here he comes!" Di Ting pointed to a distant light that was slowly approaching. "You're overthinking it. If he really meant to tail us back, why would he be so blatant about it, not even hiding?"

Lin Yu was speechless.

The light landed beside Lin Yu. Xin Tong looked flustered, but his movements were leisurely. He landed gracefully and stood beside them. "The Moon God sent me to follow you and dig up your background. But I don't want to be part of that. So I came to tell you—go on. I'll go back shortly and report that I lost you, and willingly accept my punishment."

Di Ting panicked at the mention of "punishment." He was about to say more to Xin Tong, but Lin Yu stopped him. She gave Xin Tong a gentle nod. "Understood. Thanks. Go back."

"If we meet again, and circumstances allow, I'll help you escape the Moon God's control." Lin Yu said the words slowly, but her gaze deliberately swept over Di Ting. In truth, the words were meant for Di Ting's ears.

Xin Tong was only a divine attendant. If he couldn't track Lin Yu and learn her background, that was only to be expected. If the Moon God truly wanted to know her whereabouts, he would have come himself. Sending just an attendant showed he mentioned it casually, without real expectation.

But Xin Tong deliberately made it sound serious and played up his misery to Di Ting, all to make Di Ting feel guilty and indebted to him, so he could later call in that favor. So Lin Yu responded in Di Ting's place and gave Xin Tong an empty promise.

Xin Tong's face shifted slightly, but he didn't let it show. He bowed his head humbly, looking gentle and harmless. "Very well. This humble attendant will remember."

At that moment, the sun broke through the clouds, and the sky brightened. Lin Yu judged that it was getting late. She said no more, grabbed Di Ting, and leaped off the eaves, flying off in another direction.

Di Ting, utterly confused, followed Lin Yu as she flew back and forth across the sky. She kept changing directions—she was practically flying every which way. But Di Ting couldn't keep up with her speed, so he just chased behind.

Only after confirming that Xin Tong's tracking had been completely shaken did Lin Yu stop. She took a roundabout route back toward the Heaven's Mandate Tower. Di Ting was exhausted from following, and it was nearly noon by the time the two returned.

Today was the Spring Sacrifice, and thousands of believers had been allowed inside to observe the ceremony. So the tower was bustling with people. Lin Yu gave Di Ting a few brief instructions, and they parted ways.

The Spring Sacrifice was divided into two sessions: one at Chen hour and one at Shen hour. The morning session had already passed—it involved displaying offerings and letting believers who donated gold and silver light signal fires to pray to the gods. The afternoon session was when the High Priestess would burn the offerings to the gods.

Lin Yu didn't take the path to the Divine Mountain. The tower was full of people. According to the story she'd told Di Ting, she was supposed to be imprisoned in the underworld, so she couldn't be seen. The believers came from all walks of life, and there were inevitably formidable cultivators among them. So Lin Yu, familiar with the way, took the small path behind the Divine Mountain.

During the few days she cultivated with her senior brothers and sisters, Lin Yu had mapped out part of the back mountain. Except for the thick fog that obscured the path, the back mountain was much better than the endless stone stairs of the tower.

Soon Lin Yu reached Bushou Hall at the top of the Divine Mountain. Coming up the stone stairs, you'd see the main entrance of the hall. But coming from the back mountain, she found a window to a side hall. Lin Yu carefully pushed the window open and slipped inside.

The hall was quiet, with no sound of voices. Lin Yu suppressed her divine power and cast an invisibility spell before walking toward the main hall. When she was just a wall away from the main hall, she finally heard the Xianzun's voice.

"You're saying the Earth Immortal Temple is clean—nothing there at all. Everyone just vanished into thin air?" The Xianzun sneered. "And with only two hours left before the offerings are presented to the gods, the Divine Maiden is missing, and the High Priestess has disappeared too."

This year's Spring Sacrifice was the first since Lin Yu had taken office. Normally, it didn't matter whether Lin Yu was present or not—after all, for the past twenty years, the Spring Sacrifice had been held without a Divine Maiden. But the Xianzun cared about appearances. In previous years, the Spring Sacrifice had been well-attended, but never as much as this year. Many people had come specifically because they'd heard that the Heaven's Mandate Tower had produced a second potential goddess, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

For the first sacrifice, he'd wanted Lin Yu to make an appearance before the crowd. But now she was missing, and the High Priestess had vanished as well.

The Xianzun rested his forehead on one hand and lifted a teacup from the table with the other. He didn't need to imagine the scene at the foot of the mountain—countless people all eagerly awaiting the ritual at Shen hour. His fingers, gripping the teacup, stiffened. He realized that, at some point, everything had gradually slipped beyond his control.

"Search again! If you can't find them, ask the elders to bring out the Immortal-Seeking Ruler. I don't care about anyone else's life or death. Before Shen hour, I want to see the Divine Maiden and the High Priestess!"

Lin Yu pressed herself quietly against the wall, listening to the sounds from the main hall. The Xianzun's tone was seething with rage. No one in the hall answered him. Lin Yu held her breath and heard a sharp crack, like something shattering.

"Useless! What do I keep you all for?!" The Xianzun's voice suddenly grew louder, followed by a series of crashes, and faint, pleading voices.

"Xianzun... please calm down... Today's sacrifice is crucial. I've already sent a hundred disciples to search for the Divine Maiden. His Majesty's Imperial Guards have also dispatched a thousand. They're sure to find her soon..."

The man didn't get to finish before someone shoved the door open and stumbled in, tripping over the threshold in his haste. He slid on his knees all the way to the Xianzun. "Xianzun! Xianzun... the Divine Maiden has met with misfortune!"

The newcomer spoke in fits and starts, panting heavily. "Just now... just now, at Senior Brother's door, a strange beast appeared—a vicious-looking one. It spoke human language. It... it said that our people killed their Ghost King, and our Divine Maiden must pay with her life!"