Chapter 83

Lin Yu aimed at the direction where Si Xing had fled and hurled the bloodstained knife without hesitation. It struck true with a thud—the wooden handle slammed into the side of Si Xing's neck, and she crumpled to the ground, knocked out cold.

The people who had been lying on the floor slowly helped each other to their feet, trembling. The younger children burst into wails, and everyone stared at Lin Yu with expressions of sheer terror.

A young man holding a child was the first to speak: "Wh-what... what are you going to do?"

At this moment, they likely all interpreted this as an internal power struggle within the Heaven's Mandate Tower—a woman claiming to be a priestess being harassed, who then killed without mercy. Unsure of her next move, they all felt afraid.

Lin Yu glanced around the room, then walked to the window, grabbed the collar of the dead man, and casually tossed him out. Within moments, the sound of his body hitting the ground echoed back.

Before the younger ones could even process what she was doing, a child couldn't hold back and started crying in fright, letting out a wail. One cry set off a chain reaction, and soon a chorus of children's sobs filled the Hall of Self-Reflection, nearly deafening.

Lin Yu frowned. Although there were no other courtyards nearby, someone might still be in the vicinity. If they heard the crying and came, it would be over.

"Shut up, or I'll send you to the sacrifice right now," she said. Time was pressing; she couldn't waste it explaining. She swept a stern gaze over the crying children. "If you don't want to die, shut up."

At her words, the older children quickly caught on and moved to cover the mouths of the younger ones, quieting them down until only muffled sobs remained.

Lin Yu let out a sigh and spoke in a steady, unhurried tone. "Outside the window is an open area, not too high. You must have heard the sound just now. Jump out; there's a small path that leads to a mountain trail in the back hills. Follow it all the way down, and you'll leave Heaven's Mandate Tower."

The vegetation outside was lush, with a faint white mist rising, making it look like an endless forest to the uninitiated. Jumping seemed a leap into the unknown, life or death. But Lin Yu had thrown the man out to show them it wasn't high, so they could jump without fear.

Whether it was because her earlier display had painted her as too brutal or something else, the room fell into dead silence when she spoke again. Even the children who had been crying just moments ago stared at her, tears lingering in their eyes.

"You have the time it takes to brew a cup of tea to run. The back-hill path is about five li from here. You must reach the back hills within a quarter-hour, or you'll likely be caught again. After that, no one can save you."

Lin Yu had no time to wait for them to react or explain further. She turned to leave, but was stopped by a young girl of sixteen or seventeen, her face still wet with tears.

"Who are you? Why are you saving us? How can you guarantee the path you mentioned is safe and won't harm us?" she called out.

Lin Yu didn't turn back. She heard the timid, hesitant voice behind her and paused at the threshold of the Hall of Self-Reflection. Her voice was soft. "I'm like you—a living sacrifice. But I escaped."

"Believe me or not, it's up to you. Now, you have half an hour."

The moment her words fell, there was a brief silence, then chaotic footsteps. Everyone, unable to verify her claims and pressed for time, decided to run. Running might mean survival; staying meant certain death. One after another, they jumped, the sounds of impacts thudding endlessly.

Lin Yu stepped out of the hall and looked toward the sky, which was turning a blood red in the distance. Not a single cloud marred the heavens, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. The empty sky seemed eerily calm, but beneath that calm lay a world in turmoil, drenched in blood.

...

"Still haven't found the High Priestess?" someone asked anxiously.

"No. The main halls on the peak are empty—no one's there. Even the Xianzun and the elders have vanished."

"What are we going to do? It's almost the hour of Shen, and the altar is only half-built. How are we supposed to explain this?"

"Forget the altar for now. Those items are placed incorrectly, and we'll incur divine punishment. Put that staff down, and forget the wine and offerings for a moment. Our priority is to get the sacrifices in place. Where are the sacrifices? Why haven't they arrived yet?"

At that, the disciples below, who had been busy with various tasks, immediately reacted: "Right, where are the sacrifices?"

"But that's not right—the senior brother went to the Hall of Self-Reflection half an hour ago. Why hasn't he brought the sacrifices yet?"

"You all wait here. I'll send someone to the hall to check!"

"Even if the sacrifices come, we can't do anything without the priestess. This is a mess. Has anyone seen the Xianzun? If we can't find him, what about the senior disciple?"

A nearby servant chimed in: "The senior disciple was injured and was taken down the mountain. He hasn't come back..."

On the half-mountain altar, nearly a hundred disciples in white robes scurried about in a frenzy. With no one in charge at the tower, they were leaderless, and their frenetic efforts yielded little progress.

The altar remained a chaotic mess. The morning ceremony's layout differed from the afternoon's, and after the last ritual, the High Priestess had ordered the disciples to clean everything. Without her, they had no idea where to place the various ritual implements, so after much shifting and debating, they ultimately cleared everything away, leaving the altar bare.

By the time Lin Yu arrived in priestess robes, Yun Chi was still lingering at the edge of the forest, never having revealed herself to the crowd. When she saw Lin Yu, the worry on her face eased slightly.

"You're back," Yun Chi said, stepping forward to take Lin Yu's hand. "You let the sacrifices go?"

"Mm." Lin Yu didn't hesitate and pulled Yun Chi along as she walked toward the altar on the mountainside. "I told you not to wait for me. Why didn't you just go to the altar as the High Priestess?"

"I..." Yun Chi opened her mouth but couldn't find the words to explain.

Lin Yu saw through her. "Nervous?"

"No." Yun Chi shook her head in denial, but under Lin Yu's probing gaze, she quickly deflated. "I'm afraid they won't believe in me."

Memories resurfaced—rituals that always went wrong, the High Priestess's constant accusations, the unthinking mockery of others, six years of low status and subservience. Even with resolve, such shadows couldn't be easily shaken in a single day.

She needed time to adjust, but reality offered no reprieve. She had to steel herself and go.

"They will. Your appearance now is their lifeline," Lin Yu said thoughtfully. "They'll only be grateful that you saved them. And while you're at it, you can use this ceremony to win over some loyalty."

Lin Yu didn't elaborate. These people had lost their pillar; they were used to being led. Now, with the situation spiraling, they didn't know what to do. If the believers arrived to see this mess, the tower's reputation would be ruined, and when the Xianzun returned, they'd all be dead.

If Yun Chi stepped in now, all she'd need to do was give orders and direct them, and she'd save the day. Afterward, they'd owe her their lives.

Yun Chi lowered her eyes and nodded obediently. "I understand."

The disciples, in a frenzy, all stopped what they were doing when they saw two women in colorful priestess robes approaching from a distance. Their arrival drew everyone's attention.

Someone recognized Yun Chi and shouted excitedly, "Priestess Yun, it's you! Did the Xianzun send you? Where's the High Priestess?"

Yun Chi pressed her lips together. The crowd's expectant gazes fell on her. She had never felt so many well-meaning eyes before; in that moment, she was like a savior to them.

The speech she had rehearsed countless times vanished from her mind. She tried to speak, but the words got stuck in her throat. She didn't know what to say. The heat of their stares pierced her like needles.

"Call her High Priestess," Lin Yu spoke up, giving Yun Chi a gentle push from behind so she stood in front. "The former High Priestess defected from the tower on the day of the Spring Sacrifice. She's been deposed by the Xianzun. Now, Senior Sister Yun will take the position and preside over the ceremony."

Everyone was stunned. Those who knew Yun Chi were well aware of her situation—she wouldn't have been able to succeed without the High Priestess's approval. But no one voiced any doubt. Murmurs of surprise and congratulations rose from the crowd.

"Then congratulations to Senior Sister for becoming High Priestess!" someone said first, and the congratulations followed in a wave. Yun Chi acknowledged them with a smile.

With the priestess present, the disciples who had been confused about the ritual layout immediately became energized. Yun Chi wasted no time in directing them, assigning tasks, and before long, the altar began to take shape.

Lin Yu stood aside, watching their movements, but her gaze kept following a man who was taller than the others.

Sensing her eyes on him, the man looked around, confirmed that everyone was busy with their own tasks and no one was paying attention, then set down the last jar of wine and slipped away silently.

Seeing him approach, Lin Yu asked quietly, "Where is the Xianzun now?"

"Waiting at Buzhou River. I've ordered the underworld messengers to stall him until I get back." Di Ting stretched his limbs. "Isn't this tower a bit hard on its disciples? I've been working here all day—so many tasks, my back aches."

The reason Di Ting had managed to sneak attacks on the tower and terrorize the believers while always evading the Xianzun's men was simple: he never actually left, hiding in plain sight.

Lin Yu was certain that after an attack, the Xianzun would only tighten security at the entrances, not suspect the people inside. And she was right.

Ignoring his complaints, she asked, "And the other messengers?"

"In the bamboo grove. They can't stand the light, but it's a bit shady there, so I had them hide out until the ceremony begins."

Lin Yu didn't look toward the bamboo grove; her attention stayed on the altar. Suddenly, something felt off.

A figure she had never seen before appeared among the bustling crowd. She was certain he hadn't been there a moment ago. Lin Yu's eyes locked onto this person who had seemingly materialized out of thin air.

He was shorter than the others, a boy of about sixteen or seventeen by his build. Though his face was altered, Lin Yu recognized him by his movements and gait.

This... is Xin Tong?!

Wait! Lin Yu's breath caught. If Xin Tong was here, then the Moon God had come too?

This sudden turn made her heart race. She quickly tried to piece together the connection between the Moon God and the Xianzun. Finally, she turned to Di Ting beside her.

"Besides telling you he wanted to ascend and leave the Moon God, did Xin Tong say anything else?"

Di Ting scratched his head, thinking. "He said... in all the realms, to be king, you need your name on the registry of the Nine Heavens. Otherwise, you're illegitimate."

"And you believed that?"

"That's what he said. Zhu You said something similar before—he never got on the Nine Heavens registry."

Lin Yu's brow furrowed. She knew Xin Tong was up to something, and Di Ting was too easily fooled. Now they were in real trouble!

When Di Ting had demanded the registry from the Xianzun, the Xianzun couldn't possibly fulfill that request—it would require divine authority far beyond his reach. But compared to Di Ting's earlier threat, it seemed like an easier concession. So the Xianzun had turned to the Moon God for help.

The Moon God and Lin Yu were already at odds. When he heard that the Divine Maiden of the tower had been kidnapped, he brought Xin Tong along to watch the show. If Lin Yu's suspicions were correct, her entire plan would be exposed!

Even if the Xianzun was delayed and didn't make it back for the ceremony, the Moon God's presence here meant he would never accept Yun Chi presiding over the ritual. And given that the celestial and ghost realms had been at odds for years, Di Ting wouldn't get his name on the registry, let alone his claim to the Ghost King title. Everything was falling apart!

Meanwhile, Di Ting kept chattering in her ear, and Lin Yu's head began to ache.

The registry on the Nine Heavens, listing the rulers of the four realms, had been severed for the ghost realm since the hundred-year rift. The current name on it was still Zhu Li from centuries ago.

Di Ting didn't know what he'd done wrong, but seeing Lin Yu's anger, he felt inexplicably guilty. "You said I needed the Xianzun to acknowledge me as the Ghost King and suppress others who coveted the title. I thought, to be legitimate, I needed to be on the registry. So..."

Lin Yu cut him off. "So you asked the Xianzun to add your name to the registry?"

"Yes..."

Lin Yu rarely showed much emotion. Whatever happened, she could keep a straight face and play her part. But not now. When truly angry, she smiled.

She let out a smile. "Fine. When this is over, you should go see your brother Bai Ze."

"You've got it wrong. Didn't you kill Bai Ze?" Di Ting reminded her, confused.

"No, I remember correctly." Lin Yu kept smiling.

It finally dawned on Di Ting. He caught the unusual glint in her smile. "You... you don't mean..."

But before Di Ting could finish, something worse happened. A shout cut through the tense atmosphere between them.

"Xianzun! You're back!"

Lin Yu turned to see the disciples all bowing toward a middle-aged man approaching from afar. "We pay our respects to the Xianzun!"