Chapter 87

The Xianzun's expression flickered. He looked at the blazing altar. "What did you say?"

"Yes! That's the High Priestess! The one with her neck cut! It's the High Priestess!" the robed man roared. "You two priestesses are audacious beyond belief—you killed the High Priestess and offered her as a sacrifice!"

His voice grew increasingly hysterical, as if he had finally found an outlet for all the pent-up frustration he had been carrying. "I think this so-called vicious beast you speak of isn't anything good either. Maybe the two of you conspired with this Ghost Tribe beast to murder your own colleague and kill the High Priestess!"

The moment the words "vicious beast" left his mouth, the Xianzun immediately dismissed what had been said about the High Priestess. Only then did he notice the beast hidden in the darkness, almost melding with the night itself, eyes closed in quiet repose. He pressed his lips together in silence. This beast looked exactly like the one that had come to threaten Heaven's Mandate Tower. His instincts told him it was the same creature. The Xianzun's brows knit faintly, a vague sense of foreboding creeping over him.

The Moon God was staring intently at the two priestesses on the altar. He paid no heed to the questioning look the Xianzun cast his way. Receiving no response, the Xianzun had no choice but to hold his position.

"Xianzun! Please seek justice for the High Priestess!"

The Xianzun's wandering thoughts snapped back. He coughed lightly behind his hand, his sharp gaze falling on Yun Chi.

Yun Chi's face showed panic. She instinctively moved closer to Lin Yu, who shifted sideways to block the firelight. As they moved, Lin Yu took a step and kicked the head—whose features could still be faintly discerned on the ground—straight into the heart of the flames. As the head rolled in, the fire leaped higher, blazing ever more fiercely.

Yun Chi's figure was shrouded in shadow. In the darkness, no one could see her expression, nor could anyone see her hands desperately clutching Lin Yu's sleeve.

Lin Yu remained unruffled. "Forgive me, Xianzun. This man was frightened out of his wits just now and nearly threw himself off the mountain. He's still in shock and talking nonsense. His words shouldn't be taken seriously."

"You're the one talking nonsense! You're slandering me!" the robed man stomped his foot in fury.

"Very well. Since that's the case, tell us—which of these sacrifices is this High Priestess you speak of?" Lin Yu stepped aside, pulling Yun Chi to the edge of the altar. The scene at the center was now unobstructed, clearly visible to everyone.

The flames devoured everything in their path. The ghastly head from moments ago had vanished.

"Impossible... impossible! I saw it with my own eyes! It must have been burned away, that's why it's gone!" The man leaned over the altar's edge, practically climbing onto it. As he drew closer, his view became clearer. The firelight spread, nearly licking his face. "No... something's still wrong!"

His eyes lit up as he spotted something else amiss. He pointed at a scrap of cloth that hadn't burned completely. "This is the formal disciple attire of Heaven's Mandate Tower! It's kesi silk—I know that pattern better than anyone!"

Lin Yu could only sigh inwardly. This was, after all, a man who had spent a fortune building temples and donated thousands in gold to Heaven's Mandate Tower and the various shrines every year. And he was determined to find fault with them. Anyone else would never have noticed a single clue.

The robed man turned red-eyed to the Xianzun. But contrary to his expectations, the Xianzun's face betrayed nothing—he looked like someone who already knew.

The robed man had no idea what had happened today. He didn't know the Xianzun had been threatened by the beast, that over a hundred disciples had been killed and their bodies sent back, that the original sacrifices had all escaped, that the Divine Maiden had vanished without a trace, or that the Xianzun's days were numbered.

But the Xianzun had recognized the identity of the new sacrifices on the altar even before the robed man. For the Xianzun, the fact that Yun Chi had thought to use the dead disciples to replace the escaped sacrifices and make up the full count was nothing short of saving the entire ritual.

A sacrifice was strictly scaled by the number of offerings. Not having enough was absolutely unacceptable. If it was to be a hundred-person sacrifice, then there must be a hundred. Anything less would be deceiving the gods—a disrespect to the divine.

In severe cases, heavenly punishment would befall them.

Originally, he had decided that even if he had to seize believers and kill them on the spot, the numbers had to be made up. But now, he didn't need to lift a finger. The High Priestess had already resolved everything for him. She deserved commendation.

Once people were dead, they lost their value and could be discarded immediately. But now things were different—their corpses held new worth. And if there was worth, why not use it?

This wasn't the first time Heaven's Mandate Tower had done such a thing. During the Moon God sacrifice a few months prior, they had used the same remedy, offering the tower's own Priestesses to the Moon God.

The Xianzun saw nothing wrong with it.

The night was undeniably a good time to conceal the truth. Those below were too far away to see or hear clearly what was happening on the platform. They only took it as the start of the burning sacrifice—the two priestesses walking to the edge of the altar, placing the offerings in the center for all to observe, while the Xianzun conversed nearby.

But at that moment, all the major donors who were close enough to understand the situation stared intently at the Xianzun's reaction. The other donors didn't recognize the former High Priestess, nor did they know the attire of Heaven's Mandate Tower's disciples. They all remained in a state of watchful waiting.

If they confirmed that the robed man was telling the truth, and this matter of killing one's own colleagues became known to the public—where would Heaven's Mandate Tower's authority stand?

The Xianzun weighed in his mind the benefits the robed man could bring him, and ultimately came to the conclusion to abandon him.

Losing him, Heaven's Mandate Tower still had plenty of believers. The Xianzun would not let one man cause others to misunderstand the Tower. He pulled the robed man aside and said without mercy, "Lord Zhang has been frightened into madness and has falsely accused our Tower's High Priestess. Take him away and give him some medicine to cure his ailment."

The man called Lord Zhang's pupils contracted sharply. His face twisted in terror. "What did you say?"

"You're doing this on purpose!" He pointed at the Xianzun. "I kindly helped you root out the wicked in your Tower, told you their evil scheme, and this is how you treat me?!"

"Take him away!"

The robed man was immediately seized by two men and forced to his knees. His eyes bloodshot, he stared at the two priestesses standing at the edge of the altar. Before he could utter any threats, his mouth was gagged and he was dragged off.

Lin Yu took the opportunity to whisper something in Yun Chi's ear, then patted her shoulder. "Do as I said."

Yun Chi looked up at the crowd of believers below and softly replied, "Alright."

Yun Chi walked back to the center of the altar and explained to the crowd, "Thank you all for your trust in our Heaven's Mandate Tower. Our Tower has put great sincerity into this Spring Sacrifice. These offerings are not our Tower's disciples, but wandering cultivators from the jianghu."

"As you have all seen, cultivators dress much the same. That is what led Lord Zhang, in his frightened and confused state, to misunderstand."

"Cultivators?" Murmurs of conversation reached Lin Yu's ears. She listened silently from behind. "Heaven's Mandate Tower really has gone all out for this sacrifice, even willing to offer cultivators to the gods..."

Yun Chi continued, "Needless to say, I'm sure you all understand—a cultivator who willingly offers himself to the gods demonstrates our sincerity all the more. Once the gods receive these offerings, they will surely shower blessings upon you all."

Having said it all in one breath, Yun Chi glanced back at Lin Yu, who wore her usual expression and gave her an approving smile.

Just now, Lin Yu had told her: Heaven's Mandate Tower had been short on sacrifices. She had temporarily used cultivators to preserve the ritual's dignity. The Xianzun would not object—in fact, he might even commend her afterwards. The other disciples knew well how Heaven's Mandate Tower operated, and even if they learned the truth, they would only resent the Xianzun, not blame her as High Priestess.

As long as she made clear these people were not disciples of the Tower.

It was a resolution that satisfied all parties. Her explanation was almost watertight.

The reactions of the believers below confirmed Lin Yu's words. Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion. Yun Chi's violently pounding chest finally began to settle. She let out a sigh of relief.

Looking around, she saw smiles returning to everyone's faces. The doubts from moments ago had dissipated like smoke. The explanation satisfied them greatly. The value of a cultivator went without saying—one cultivator's sacrifice was worth about ten ordinary people. By that reckoning, this was no simple hundred-person sacrifice, but a thousand-person sacrifice.

This was the first thousand-person sacrifice in Yu Kingdom in a hundred years, and they were the first to secure prayer slips at such an event. Offering a thousand-person sacrifice to the gods, their wishes would surely receive far greater divine attention.

It was as if you had spent a thousand gold to buy a chance at having your wish granted, only to discover upon arrival that the value of this chance far exceeded what you had paid. You couldn't even call it a bargain—it was simply unprecedented, once-in-a-lifetime fortune.

The news of the thousand-person sacrifice spread from person to person, traveling the length of the crowd in no time. Soon everyone knew. Nearly all of them were buzzing with excitement. Some even knelt directly toward the altar and began praying. The rustling sounds never ceased. Every face was alight with smiles that couldn't be contained.

The first thousand-person sacrifice in a hundred years, and they had been there to witness it.

The Xianzun signaled Yun Chi to continue. Her stiff body relaxed. By now, all the offerings on the altar had burned to ashes, leaving only a pile of embers.

It was as if all sins had been consumed.

A cheer erupted from the crowd. The burning sacrifice had officially concluded, and finally came the moment everyone had been eagerly awaiting—the prayer offering.

The major donors seated by the altar each held a prayer slip, naturally. They had been handed out upon their arrival. Most had already written their wishes, waiting only for the burning ritual to conclude before incinerating the slips.

The thousand-plus believers on the long stone steps were not so privileged. Apart from the dozen or so already distributed, Yun Chi now held only twenty or thirty prayer slips in her hands. Everyone else could only pray they would be among the few fortunate enough to have their words reach the heavens.

The gods would only look at so many prayer slips. They couldn't attend to everyone in the world. The deities didn't have the time to care about whose wish was what. They only deigned to glance at some prayers out of consideration for the offerings, then pick a few to grant their dreams.

Afterwards, there would be plenty of people singing the praises of miracles.

The gods enjoyed the worship of millions, carried the faith of millions. They only needed to repay this tiny fraction each year to continue receiving the support and veneration of countless believers. No one thought this unfair. No one thought anything was wrong.

As for how the remaining slips would be distributed, that was Yun Chi's affair. While Yun Chi descended from the altar and all eyes were fixed on the slips in her hands, Lin Yu slipped quietly into the darkness and stood beside the beast that had been lurking silently in the shadows all along.

"Pick me! Me! I'm the Crimson God's most devout believer! My sincerity is proven by the sun and moon!"

"Screw that! Pick me, pick me! What's the Crimson God? I came for the God of War!"

Yun Chi looked at the countless pairs of burning, desperate eyes. She couldn't decide whom to give the slips to. Countless hands reached toward her, people making no effort to conceal the greed on their faces. The dense tangle of outstretched arms looked like snakes with flicking tongues, threatening to swallow Yun Chi whole in the center.

Everyone here had come for these prayer slips. No one was willing to give up this faint hope.

"May the Rain Goddess bless us with favorable weather next year!"

"Move aside! Me! Give it to me!"

"Priestess, look at me, I beg you to grant me a chance to pray! Next year I'll offer new sacrifices to all the gods!"

The cacophony around her was almost deafening. Everyone with red faces and straining necks tried to push forward, shoving past the tightly packed ring of white-robed figures to snatch the slips from the young priestess.

If not for the other Heaven's Mandate Tower disciples surrounding Yun Chi, she would likely have been torn apart by the crowd. And she had only just stepped off the altar platform—she dared not imagine what would happen if she descended the long steps into the thick of the crowd.

She stopped in her tracks. The disciples protecting her kept the tide of people at bay. Yun Chi frowned. She deeply regretted stepping down from the altar to distribute the prayer slips. Now she understood why her master never intervened in who got the slips—it was always simply whoever paid the most.

Yun Chi rubbed her brow. "Let's go back."

The disciples obeyed, forcibly carving a path through the crowd to escort Yun Chi back. The moment they left, new guards pushed the remaining believers back, forcing them to return to where they belonged.

Suddenly, a golden-feathered dark bird flew overhead, soaring above the crowd. It carried the remaining prayer slips in its beak as it flew down the endless stone steps.

This was a bird commonly used by the Cultivation Academy to select new disciples. If the bird hovered above someone, it meant that person possessed deep fortune and was worthy of the Great Dao. Releasing the dark bird now was a wise decision.

The noisy crowd fell silent. Everyone tilted their heads up, staring at the ink-black sky, their gaze following the bird's movements. No one spoke. The bird flew erratically overhead, dipping and rising. Whenever someone thought it was about to drop a slip, the bird would suddenly swoop away, leaving only a faint golden trail hanging in the air.

Some would raise their hands to grab it whenever the bird flew low, but the bird had no physical form—it was merely a projection of light. No one could catch it.

As the bird made its third circuit above the crowd without dropping a single slip, someone finally couldn't hold back their complaint: "Are you going to pick or not?! If it makes another round, the city gates will be closed! Then we'll be stuck here for the night, sleeping in this tower?!"

Before anyone could respond, the dark bird suddenly swooped past a spot and scattered all the slips at once!

Quick as lightning, sharp-eyed people rushed forward to snatch them up. In the blink of an eye, the slips didn't even have a chance to hit the ground before they were caught by quick hands, bouncing and leaping between grasping fingers.

Laughter burst from the crowd. A man's nearly insane cackle rang out: "Got it, hahaha! My wish—"

In the darkness, the dark bird vanished without a trace, leaving no light behind. No one knew who had gotten the slips. A dozen or so slips had disappeared beyond recovery. With the abrupt laughter, those around swiftly pinpointed the man's position. In the dim light, malice churned within human hearts.

"I got it, hahaha! I'll make everyone who ever wronged me pay! Your good days are over, hahaha!" The man's expression froze as he felt his hair yanked violently from behind. "Who?! Who is it?! ...Ah!"

A scream tore through the night. The man who had grabbed the slip was kicked off the mountain peak, plummeting straight into the abyss!

Of course, the prayer slip fell with him.

Such is the human heart—if one cannot benefit oneself, one would rather destroy it than let another have it.

The scream faded from everyone's ears. The scene fell into a rare silence. Almost everyone held their breath, not daring to move. No one had seen who struck. The culprit was hidden among them, and who could say that person's jealousy wouldn't strike again and push someone else off the cliff? A fall from such a height meant certain death. So no one dared make a sound.

All attention was now focused on the spot where the dark bird had dropped the slips. No one noticed the subtle change in the darkness. Lin Yu and Di Ting had flown up to the mountaintop during the commotion, hovering in midair to observe the chaos below.

Lin Yu held her white bone whip, her eyes dark and unreadable. "I'll give you one more chance. If you make another mistake, I'll find someone else to sit on the Ghost King's throne."

"I can help you take power, and I can just as easily help someone else. If you can't hold this position, plenty of others are eager to be Ghost King."

Di Ting nodded hastily, still shaken. With Xin Tong and the Moon God interfering, and the matter of the ancient name registry being dragged up, he couldn't make sense of the complex scheming. But he knew someone had deliberately tried to harm him, and he had nearly died without even knowing how.

Di Ting patted his chest in assurance. "Of course! I really won't be tricked so easily anymore. Except for you, everyone else—gods, immortals, ghosts, humans, whoever—I won't believe a single one of them! I'll listen to you. They're all swindlers with ill intentions!"

The bone-white whip glowed faintly in the darkness. Lin Yu's fingers tapped absently against the gem on its handle. "As for the name registry... I can help you write your name on the registry of the Nine Heavens, making you the second legitimate Ghost King since Zhu Li—a Ghost King recognized by the divine realm. But you'll have to do something for me in return."

Lin Yu knew that Di Ting desperately wanted his name inscribed on the registry. He wanted legitimacy. He wanted to be different from Zhu You. Sure enough, Di Ting's eyes lit up at her words, his face brimming with joy—but it quickly dimmed.

"What is it? Are you sure I can do it?" He sounded uncertain. If it were something solvable with force, that was one thing. But since she mentioned the name registry, it must involve the divine realm. He might well fall into another trap. Those gods were too good at deceiving people. He had little confidence in himself.

Lin Yu swept her gaze over the Divine Mountain, hidden behind a veil of clouds. Faint lights had begun to appear below.

"Get the Book of Fate from Si Ming's hands. Whatever method you use, bring that book back to me."