Chapter 72

#Lord God Ji

I was brought by Lord God Ji to the great hall atop Que Mountain.

Just as he had said, the stone mirror that had been placed at the city gates had now been moved back and was sitting right in the center of the hall.

In the body of this young soldier, I walked into the hall. Before the stone mirror could reflect me, I quickly darted to the side and hid.

Maybe I moved a bit too abruptly.

Lord God Ji turned to size me up.

I held his gaze for a while, but under the pressure, my tightly pressed lips eventually gave in. I opened my mouth and said, “No need to use it.”

I admitted, “Yes, I took over this body. But I’m not an evil spirit.”

What surprised me was that as soon as I confessed, Lord God Ji waved his hand, and all the doors of the hall closed at once.

A faint, glowing aura flickered around my body.

I stared blankly at him. “What kind of spell did you just cast on me?”

“A spell to sever all your connections with the outside world.”

“Huh?” I didn’t quite understand. “Why?”

“To keep the evil aura in your body from alerting the Evil God.”

I was startled—he was right, that was indeed possible.

Although most of the evil aura had been dispelled by Lord God Ji and some by me, a trace still clung to my soul.

The Evil God was extremely perceptive. All the evil aura in this world came from him. If even a wisp of it allowed him to sense my existence, who knew what impact it might have on the future…

Cutting off my connection with the outside world was indeed the safest choice.

But…

“You believe I’m not an evil spirit?”

“We’ve met before, haven’t we?” Lord God Ji answered with a non-sequitur, but it struck home. “Miss Agou?”

I choked up…

Lord God, are you really this sharp and clever?

By comparison, Xie Zhuo seemed kind of dull—he didn’t recognize me at all.

But then again, Xie Zhuo’s understanding of this world clearly wasn’t on par with the Lord God.

I asked curiously, “How did you…”

“When we met, you kicked away the evil spirit. That was Kunlun footwork.”

He was referring to the day we met, when I had possessed that little girl’s body and kicked away the person who had turned into an evil spirit…

Just one emergency kick, and he remembered?

“You saw it that day,” I rubbed my nose, “and today you saw a soldier who shouldn’t know Kunlun techniques using them, so you guessed it was me?”

“That was one reason. Another: I know every soldier in Que Mountain. Your tone and demeanor differ greatly from that boy’s. Even if he were possessed by evil aura, he wouldn’t act like you.”

Yeah…

In my mind I thought, that soldier from Que Mountain is way more vocal than me…

“Before this, only that girl from that day ever made me suspicious.”

“It really was me that day…”

“You’re quite quick to admit it now.”

I went quiet for a moment. “Xie Zhuo mustn’t know.”

Lord God Ji studied me. “What’s your connection to Young Master Xie Zhuo?”

I looked at him. When his gaze wasn’t laced with killing intent, there was always a trace of compassion in it—a divine gentleness that made me almost open my mouth to pour out all my suffering.

I wanted to tell him about my past—or rather, their future.

But I knew I couldn’t.

Telling him might change the future. I couldn’t take that risk.

All I could do was wait until the moment I separated from Xie Zhuo and then do everything I could to change things.

“I don’t want to lie to you, but I also can’t tell you the truth.” I looked into Lord God Ji’s eyes and said sincerely, “All I can tell you is that I’m not an evil spirit. There’s only one reason my soul came here…”

“I want to protect him.”

Our eyes met. At this moment, I didn’t shy away from his probing gaze. I was speaking the truth—the truest words from my heart. I wasn’t afraid of any divine scrutiny.

After a while, Lord God Ji slightly looked away.

“How can you use your soul to repeatedly possess other bodies?” he asked.

I was a little surprised.

“You don’t know?”

The Lord God Ji I met in Undying City had spent countless years using his soul to possess others.

Back then, before I figured out the trick, I had even envied his ability to empathize with people of this world!

Yet now, he looked at me, completely at a loss. “Why would I know?”

He said, “I’ve never seen a soul possess other bodies like this.”

His words shocked me.

Could it be…

That this method of soul possession was something I… discovered?

I was stunned for a moment, but I couldn’t explain the reason. I had no choice but to explain my method honestly:

“My soul… was separated from my body due to some very special circumstances. I no longer have a body and have been drifting through the world as a soul. To possess another’s body, I only need to resonate with their soul.”

Lord God Ji frowned slightly. “All things have souls. Every soul is unique—formed by Heaven’s design. How can you resonate with another’s soul?”

So…

He really didn’t know.

But in the future, he was supposed to do this very thing.

I decided to tell him anyway.

“All things do have souls. But if you truly understand them, if you can fully perceive their emotions, you can resonate with them.”

I recalled the time I entered the body of a limping little dog.

That was the only time I had ever been fully accepted by another soul.

Lord God Ji shook his head slightly. “That’s impossible.”

“It’s definitely hard. I’ve only succeeded once, and that was with a simple living creature. But recently, I found a shortcut when it comes to people.”

“A shortcut?”

“Yes. Love and hate in humans are difficult to fully empathize with—they’re too complex and murky. Sometimes even the person feeling them doesn’t understand themselves. But fear, terror, despair in moments of crisis—those emotions are intense and crystal clear. If I find someone in such a moment, I can briefly…”

I didn’t finish—

Because the way Lord God Ji was looking at me had completely changed.

“You’d better stop.”

I froze.

“Why?”

He was silent for a long time.

“Do you know where the Evil God came from?”

I shook my head.

In the books of Kunlun and legends of the world, they only said the Evil God descended as a calamity. No one ever explained why Heaven would send such a disaster.

After a long silence, Lord God Ji finally said, “His soul was formed from the greed, wrath, obsession, despair, fear… all the dark thoughts of the gods.”

I stood there, stunned.

The Evil God… was the evil of the gods.

No wonder their war with him ended with so many gods falling.

“You’re now walking the same path the Evil God once did.”

I opened my mouth but couldn’t speak.

The path I’m walking…

Is the Evil God’s path?

I moved my hand and looked at my fingertips, a little disbelieving.

So… what does this mean?

“The evil aura remaining in your body may not be the Evil God’s,” Lord God Ji said, “It may have been born from your own soul—tainted by the things you’ve done.”

So… the reason my soul was stuck to this body wasn’t because of the remnant evil aura lingering on the young soldier—it was the evil aura that had grown from within my own soul.

It wasn’t that the young soldier wanted to keep my soul.

It was that, unconsciously, I wanted to take over this body.

Just like… the Evil God set his sights on Xie Zhuo, longing to possess a—

Body—

I suddenly shuddered.

“Will I… turn into something like the Evil God?” My voice trembled uncontrollably. “Will I… completely become an evil being? Because of myself?”

“It’s too soon to say,” said the Lord God Ji. “The world isn’t simply black or white. You may indeed spawn evil from within, but you may also use your will to cleanse it.”

I nodded, suppressing the lingering fear in my heart. “There’s still hope. Thank goodness…”

“However…” The Lord God Ji looked at me solemnly. “You must never again use this shortcut to borrow another’s body.”

“If you truly empathize and understand someone completely, perhaps this method could be righteous. But you sought a shortcut, probing into others’ darkest corners. If this continues, even with a strong heart, you will be affected.”

I lowered my head. “I understand. There’s no shortcut in this world. I was too impatient.”

Seeing my sincere remorse, the Lord God Ji didn’t scold me further.

“It’s just… perhaps because my soul has birthed evil aura, it’s now entangled with this body’s meridians. I can’t leave it for the time being.”

The Lord God Ji thought for a moment. “Then the evil aura in your soul must be purified first. You’ve studied the Kunlun techniques—my Que Mountain method likely won’t suit you, so I won’t teach it. Think about whether Kunlun has any calming techniques. You may stay here, meditate, and once the evil is purged, you can leave on your own.”

“Kunlun does have one.”

I immediately found a spot, sat cross-legged, and just before chanting the incantation, I looked at the Lord God Ji. Seeing him still watching me, I couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward and asked, “Could you not tell Xie Zhuo about this?”

His brow lifted slightly. After a pause, he nodded, but then softly asked:

“The summer blossoms and snow he spoke of… did you help with that?”

I froze, not expecting the Lord God Ji to ask this.

But in the next moment, I was shaken—not out of fear, but because of his gentleness and attentiveness.

Lord God Ji… was truly perceptive.

Perhaps, later on in the Undying City, he really did accomplish the impossible—completely empathizing with another, fully understanding, feeling their sorrow and joy, love and hate.

And so—

Only after so many years could he develop the most compassionate eyes among the Lord Gods.

I closed my eyes and sat in quiet meditation.

“Thank you, my Lord, for your trust and understanding.”

I meditated in the main hall of Que Mountain.

While cultivating, time always seemed to fly, as if entering a state of flow. I felt only a moment had passed, but when I opened my eyes again, the paper windows outside had already turned dark—it was night.

The candlelight in the hall flickered dimly. When I examined my inner state, I felt my soul had begun to slightly separate from this body’s meridians. The points of connection had lessened.

The method the Lord God Ji mentioned really worked. Some of the evil aura had been cleansed.

Knowing I could be saved, joy stirred within me—but just then, I suddenly heard a loud commotion outside the hall.

I had only just looked up when the great doors of the hall crashed down with a thunderous noise.

Startled, I leapt aside. If I hadn’t reacted in time, the doors would’ve crushed me.

“What’s—” I barely got the words out before I saw Xie Zhuo stepping into the hall, sword in one hand, the unconscious Lord God Ji slung over his shoulder, his face grim.

“Xie Zhuo?” I called out in shock.

He laid the Lord God Ji down to the side. At the sound of my voice, he glanced at me, but with no time to spare, he turned and strode out again.

As he left, he waved his hand, setting up a barrier outside the hall, sealing the entire place in a protective ward. Then his figure disappeared into the boundless night.

I hurried to Lord God Ji’s side. “My Lord?”

I was stunned to see the bloodstained wounds on his shoulders and back. “How did you get injured? What happened outside? How long was I meditating?”

Lord God Ji propped himself up and sat cross-legged, adjusting his breath while pulling out the Heart of Que Mountain from his robe.

“It’s been two days. Que Mountain can no longer hold.”

I gasped and looked outside.

Through Xie Zhuo’s barrier, I could faintly see dark, thick evil aura rising in the sky—like an impending storm, ominous and suffocating.

“I can’t believe it’s gotten this bad in just two days!”

“The vengeful spirits and evil entities outside Que Mountain aren’t his true goal. Spreading fear and panic—that is.”

Lord God Ji clutched the Heart of Que Mountain in his hand.

“As long as people lose their calm and become scattered, he can easily infiltrate their hearts. All this time, Xie Zhuo and I searched for him with no results. But he had already slipped into the hearts of the fearful… waiting for the right moment…”

The Lord God Ji let out a long sigh. “And this is it. Today’s disaster—he’s won. Those without cultivation can’t resist him at all.”

I pressed my lips tightly together, thinking of Kunlun under the Evil God’s control, and of Xie Zhuo’s hometown…

And I finally understood why, after the Undying City, the Lord Gods had united to seal all information about the Evil God.

Because… the masses could never be allowed to fall into fear again.

“We can’t let the people of Que Mountain leave.”

As the Lord God Ji spoke, his bloodied hand gripped the Heart of Que Mountain tightly.

I had already guessed what he was about to do—just didn’t expect it would come so soon.

“Step aside. Purify the evil aura in your soul as quickly as possible.” The Lord God Ji fixed his gaze on me, his eyes filled with unwavering resolve. “Then leave Que Mountain.”

I didn’t dare delay. I retreated to the side, sat down cross-legged, and began to chant the calming incantation.

But in this moment, how could I possibly calm my heart?

I watched as the Lord God Ji formed hand seals, and the Heart of Que Mountain rose from his palm—just a small stone, yet glowing as bright as the sun.

At the same time, a massive formation unfurled beneath him, spreading light across a thousand li.

I felt the ground shudder violently. Within the hall, the beams and pillars swayed. In the distance outside, it sounded like mountains were collapsing.

Lightning ripped through the sky, tearing apart the suffocating evil aura.

Eyes wide, I watched in disbelief as the entire land of Que Mountain cracked apart, layers upon layers rising into the air.

In the sky, a giant stone hovered mid-air. Its strange shape told me at once—it was the peak of Que Mountain.

The origin of the mountain’s name—Que, or Magpie—was now floating in the sky with the rest of the mountain’s stones.

The formation continued to rotate. The hall began to tear apart. Beams shattered, tiles turned to sand.

Amid howling wind and lightning, everything outside—earth, buildings, trees—rose into the air, except for the formation holding the Heart of Que Mountain, and the barrier protecting me and the Lord God Ji.

The Heart of Que Mountain shone brighter and brighter.

In my ears, the voice of the Lord God Ji chanting grew louder and louder, as if his incantations were sweeping across the Northern Wastes with the light of the formation.

With a sound like a morning bell, everything floating in the air began to drift off into the distance.

Amidst a deafening rumble, the shattered mountain rocks and roof tiles all fell from the sky like raindrops—yet each piece landed with precision, orderly assembling upon the land of the Northern Wastes.

Layer by layer, line by line, I stood on this formation suspended in midair and watched as a “circular city” rose from the earth of the Northern Wastes.

The Undying City…

So it was Lord God Ji who tore apart the entirety of Que Mountain to build it.

The towering, imposing city walls, the city gates inscribed with the eight bold characters: “Exterminate all evil—until death, no rest”—they were all constructed using Que Mountain’s spiritual veins, stones, trees, and grasses.

A True God is the guardian of a land.

He used the very land he had protected for a lifetime to forge a prison to contain the evil spirits and vengeful ghosts.

And he would remain there to guard this prison city for hundreds, even thousands of years.

In time, the city walls would be studded with the corpses of countless cultivators, and beneath the walls, heaps of white bones would pile up, stretching stories high…

And he would still be there, within that city, locked in an endless struggle with evil—until death.

As Que Mountain crumbled, I looked at him and felt as though I were seeing the unbroken spine of the mountain itself—standing tall forever, unbent even after a thousand years.