Chapter 589: Today, I Become a Great One

At this moment, Lin Jue had already brought the fox and a group of people to the outskirts of Yishan.

It was outside Fuxiang Peak, at the Reeds Hot Spring.

Several figures halted, raising their heads to gaze far off—the entire sky above Yishan was filled with white clouds, and within them, faintly visible, loomed colossal human silhouettes, with the heads and tails of serpentine dragons also flickering in and out.

A heart-shaking voice echoed from the heavens:

“The Lord of Yishan has defied the Nine Heavens. By order of the Purple Emperor, I now send the Nine Heavens’ True Gods and Thunder Generals to purge demons and eradicate monsters. All mortals in the mountain, depart at once!”

“Mortals, depart at once!”

“I grant you one day to leave. Starting at this time tomorrow, I shall purge demons and eradicate monsters. Anyone still in the mountain will be deemed an accomplice to mountain demons, aligned with evil. I will not send troops specifically to hunt you down—but if you are injured during the purge, do not blame me. If you are unable to walk, silently call upon the name of the Long Snake Divine Lord!”

The voice reverberated with thunder, echoing endlessly through the sky.

As the voice rang out, the white clouds above shifted and swirled—silver-armored celestial soldiers mounted on heavenly steeds galloped in formation, racing diagonally downward toward all four directions.

“They’re heading to encircle Yishan, sealing it off—allowing only people to leave, not demons to escape,” said Master Xuanming. “The Purple Emperor often did this when he was in the north—never letting a single fish slip through.”

“Hmm...”

“The Long Snake Divine Lord also entered the Dao through martial means—first becoming a Martial Immortal, then a deity. The Giant Defense Divine Lord was once a Dragon Lord, with a mighty physique. Both have fought alongside the Purple Emperor in the north for centuries, purging demons and eradicating monsters. Though they lack the peerless divine might of the Fuchi Divine Lord, they are battle-hardened and exceptionally formidable,” said Master Bai Luan. “Combined with the magical prowess of the two Supreme Immortals and the divine power of the Nine Heavens’ Eight Divisions, if Lin Dao You had not arrived in time, even with the Lord of Yishan and the mountain’s full spiritual aura, they could hardly withstand heavenly wrath.”

“Holding out won’t be hard—it’s whether reinforcements arrive that matters. That’s why I’ve brought you all here—to enter Yishan together and lend a hand to my elder brother and the Lord of Yishan.”

As Lin Jue spoke, he kept his head raised, watching the movements of the heavenly troops. Only after finishing did he lower his gaze slightly toward the peak ahead:

“That peak ahead is Fuxiang Peak. Cross this stream, climb Fuxiang Peak, and you’ve entered Yishan’s territory. Ask my younger sister about anything else.”

“Huh? Aren’t you going?”

“It’s too noisy inside the mountain. I’ll watch from here.”

Lin Jue said this, then sat cross-legged.

Steam rose from the surrounding hot springs, swirling around him—ordinary vapor now resembling celestial mist.

As I’ve said before: Yishan is one of the rarest immortal lands in the world. The Lord of Yishan is the mountain’s spirit, and four of my elder brothers have already attained true cultivation within it, while my fifth brother, now a deity, aids secretly. Though the Long Snake and Giant Defense Divine Lords are renowned and battle-savvy, my elder brothers may not match them in strength—but with Yishan’s terrain as defense, they can hold their ground.

Even if the two Divine Lords are aided by two Supreme Immortals and the Eight Divisions, Lin Jue still believed Yishan could hold.

As for any other reclusive immortals hidden within Yishan, Lin Jue could not determine whether they were human or demon, their allegiance, or whether they would intervene or had already fled—so he did not count on them. He had only brought his younger sister and three elders: to guard against contingencies, and against the Purple Emperor sending reinforcements.

What he feared most was the Purple Emperor summoning the Fuchi Divine Lord.

If that deity emerged, he would almost certainly come for Lin Jue. If he saw Lin Jue within Yishan, with his peerless divine might, he might cleave the mountain apart with a few sword strokes—and slay the Lord of Yishan along with it.

Besides, the commotion inside the mountain disturbed his “plucking stars.”

So Lin Jue would not enter Yishan—he would wait here.

This spot was not within Yishan, yet close enough to intervene instantly if anything happened.

The three masters pondered briefly, then understood his intent and nodded.

"Dao friend, be careful!"

“You all be careful too!” Lin Jue said, pointing upward. “The mountain’s spirits are mostly reclusive, benevolent demons. If you’d rather not see them slaughtered, urge them not to leave the mountain—or help them when the celestial troops strike.”

“Understood!”

“Elder brother! I’m off!” The younger sister clutched her dust whisk and sword. “Fuyao, guard my elder brother!”

“Mm.”

The group turned and stepped into Yishan’s territory.

Only Lin Jue remained alone.

Before closing his eyes, he couldn’t help but glance around.

He still remembered his first visit to Yishan—he had passed through here, soaked in the hot spring with his master, and heard for the first time the voice that dared to “refute his elder.”

So many years had passed.

Now, the hot spring still steamed warmly, releasing wisps of vapor; the reeds still grew thick and lush, their soft, pale-yellow plumes swaying; the faint scent of sulfur still lingered in his breath.

“So familiar...”

Suddenly, a voice sounded again beside his ear:

“What a Lin Zhenren! You truly dare defy the Nine Heavens for your pet fox!”

“Huh?”

Lin Jue turned toward the voice’s source:

“Elder, long time no see.”

“Why do you always say the wrong thing? When have we ever met?” came the voice from deep within the woods. “I thought after you attained true cultivation and gained a brother skilled in divination, you’d forgotten me!”

“Elder, that’s not right!” Lin Jue countered, reaching into his robe and pulling out a divination talisman. “I’ve carried the talisman you gave me, always.”

“Hmph...”

“Aren’t you leaving yet?”

“You know full well! Didn’t you just see the True Lord dispatch troops—those cavalry on heavenly steeds arriving behind, sealing off all of Yishan?”

“Why do you always say the wrong thing?” Lin Jue replied again. “I meant—you, who know past and present, understand all under heaven—why didn’t you foresee this calamity and leave earlier?”

The voice in the woods fell silent—whether stunned by Lin Jue’s two refutations, or for some other reason, no one knew.

After a while, another voice came:

“Where could I go? Under heaven, where is there a place untouched by divine radiance? I have no power to fight. If I fled to the wilds, abandoned my home, what difference would it make from death? The Heavenly Emperor is cruel, recklessly exterminating demons. For creatures like us, this is a great calamity. All we can do is hope the Lord of Yishan can withstand the heavenly wrath. If he fails, to die alongside such a righteous and benevolent deity as the Lord of Yishan would be my fortune!”

Lin Jue fell silent upon hearing this.

“Then what do you think?”

“Heh, your thoughts are correct—Yishan is extraordinary, its Lord is extraordinary. Though the Long Snake and Giant Defense Divine Lords are strong, even with the two Supreme Immortals and the Eight Divisions, they cannot break Yishan. But you must know: all things are born of mutual generation and mutual restraint. What if one of those two Supreme Immortals possesses the great divine art of ‘Shaking Mountains and Shaking Earth’?” the Refuting Elder said. “From this perspective, bringing your younger sister, who specializes in the Five Elements, and the three immortals was exactly right.”

Lin Jue listened, pondered, and nodded. This was precisely the contingency he had feared.

“Then what now?”

“Even so, you may hold—but the final victory won’t be decided here,” came the voice from the woods. “Since the Purple Emperor began his cultivation, he has purged demons and eradicated monsters to become a deity, to become an emperor, to ascend to the Nine Heavens. Now he is Heavenly Emperor—his divine might greater, his authority larger. If he cannot break through here quickly, he will surely summon reinforcements—or even come himself. How will you resist?”

“Someone will come to resist.”

“Yao Hua Niangniang, isn’t it...”

Once, he dared not speak the name “Yao Hua Niangniang.” But now, facing death, he spoke calmly:

“Yet the Fuchi Divine Lord’s body has become sacred—immortal, indestructible, his divine power like an endless sea! Even if you bundled together these two True Lords, two Supreme Immortals, the Lord of Yishan, your four cultivated elder brothers, the healing deity who can revive the dead, and your four new allies—you’d only make Fuchi work harder! Even Yao Hua Niangniang herself fears him! If the Purple Emperor sends a single letter summoning him, though you know many spells and arts, none are powerful enough—you’re not yet a Great One. How can you oppose him?”

“Then become a Great One.”

“Huh?”

As the voice in the woods expressed surprise, the Daoist smiled faintly and closed his eyes.

The fox immediately split into four, taking positions at the four corners, back-to-back with him, facing outward to guard him.

Darkness fell before his eyes.

Yet within the darkness, countless stars appeared, like a celestial chessboard—each star, bright or dim, represented one of his spells or divine arts,

and led to a path of the Dao.

The two brightest stars blazed with unmatched brilliance, almost blinding.

All he needed to do was pluck one—and celestial phenomena would erupt. But suddenly, both fell at once.

Like comets crashing to earth, or jade and metal snapping.

Another immortal, one who could shape the laws of heaven and earth, master the mysteries of the Dao, had been born. Heaven and earth sensed it—the Dao’s rules trembled for an instant.

The sky roared. The earth hummed.

Gales howled. Lightning cracked. Thunder rolled.

The heavenly steeds galloping through the sky reared in fright; the giants atop the clouds nearly toppled backward; the neatly lined celestial soldiers and gods all turned, bewildered, scanning the surroundings.

Whether atop Yishan, within its depths, the True Lords, the Lord of Yishan, or even the keenest spirits in the mountain—all felt the Dao’s disturbance, all wore expressions of astonishment.

An anomaly also occurred in the mortal realm.