Chapter 593: Turned into Mountains

Both sides soon stopped.

The Daoist stood atop the pavilion, while the Divine Lord still held his halberd, hovering in midair; the mountain winds and red leaves stirred his robes and hair wildly.

“Fighting like this is utterly boring.”

“If that’s the case, why fight any longer?”

“That won’t do,” said the Floating Pool Divine Lord. “He is my master, who once taught me. He sent me three letters pleading for my aid, even listed five crimes of yours—I had no choice but to come.”

“What five crimes?”

“First, you arbitrarily altered the Emperor’s lifespan—this has too great an impact on the mortal realm, a taboo for divine beings.”

“Second, you used your status, authority, power, and your acquaintance with the Wei Shui River God to redirect the Wei Shui’s flow, diverting a tributary to ease drought in Jiangnan. Though you helped many, you also harmed others—and those you helped were the ones who deserved suffering, while those you harmed were not.”

“Third, you fought against a Buddhist Bodhisattva sent by the Heavenly Emperor to purge demons and exterminate monsters, all to aid a spider spirit.”

“Fourth, you sent your senior brother to confront the Nine Heavens Divine Lord’s troops to rescue a wild god from beyond the frontier.”

“Fifth—”

“Forgotten!”

“What do you think, Divine Lord?” Lin Jue said calmly.

“Heh, I still know a little of my former master’s nature,” said the Floating Pool Divine Lord, shaking his head and waving his halberd. “But he was my teacher—I must aid him.”

He paused, glancing left and right:

“This isn’t the outside world, is it?”

“Divine Lord, your insight is sharp.”

“Then stay here—I’m leaving!”

With those words, he immediately swung his halberd forward.

This was a power he had never used before!

Boundless divine force surged forth, forming a torrent of black-gold divine lightning, twisted like true dragons, stretching from the Nine Heavens down to the Underworld, slashing forward.

The red leaves above were first shredded to dust; the pavilions, corridors, and halls on the cliff ahead were crushed one by one, then the cliff itself, then the entire mountain, and finally the whole range behind him.

Compared to this, the sword qi he had once seen far beyond Modu Mountain seemed insignificant.

This force truly tore apart space, crushed sky and earth, and shattered the sun above.

Where was the Floating Pool Divine Lord going? No need to ask.

Yet just as he prepared to depart with his Earth- Dun Golden Light toward Yishan, he found himself already at Yishan.

Before him stretched a wondrous landscape of peaks, rolling clouds, yet the sea of mist did not drown the entire Yishan—it gathered just right in the low valleys and hollows, or drifted along the mid-slopes of Lianhuafeng and Tiandoufeng.

Thus one could see countless strange peaks and stone forests, the majestic Heavenly Capital, Lianhuafeng—the very peak meant for mountain gods—the peacock beside it, monkeys, old anglers, immortals, celestial maidens, golden turtles, and the Dreambrush Blooming Flower, a peak resembling a brush with an ancient pine growing from its tip. Countless strange peaks, stone forests, and ancient pines on sheer cliffs half-revealed, half-hidden in mist.

Especially from above, even the Nine Heavens’ paradise could not surpass it.

Lin Jue stood atop the narrow summit of Tiandoufeng, watching the Floating Pool Divine Lord calmly.

The Floating Pool Divine Lord likewise looked around, then without hesitation swung his halberd again.

The earth-shaking force reappeared!

The ancient pines turned to dust, rocks shattered, the magnificent Western Sea gorge’s stone forests collapsed in waves, Tiandoufeng and Lianhuafeng crumbled—this world was split open once more by his halberd.

When the light faded, the world had changed again.

Before the Floating Pool Divine Lord stood countless stone peaks—some tall as bamboo shoots, others round as eggs—unlike any mountains he had ever seen, forming an endless stone forest.

Beneath his feet lay a mountain, entirely covered in Yuanqiu Immortal Trees; halfway up, ancient pines and eagle nests hung a white ribbon of water.

Lin Jue sat on one of those mountains, already settled in meditation.

“Hmph!”

The Floating Pool Divine Lord slashed again.

This realm shattered once more.

Before him suddenly rose a snow-capped mountain, towering into the clouds; from afar, in the hazy horizon, it was hard to distinguish snow from sky. Why call it a “line”? Because besides its height, it was not only perfectly straight but also immensely long—stretching from the left edge of vision to the right, as if floating in the sky or standing as the world’s end wall upon the earth.

Below stretched an endless green grassland.

“Tianshan?”

The Floating Pool Divine Lord swung his halberd again.

The boundless grassland, the sky-floating Tianshan, its palaces and snow lotuses—all turned to ash.

The next instant, the world darkened.

Endless mountains still filled his sight, but all were gray-black; viewed from above, the vision was compressed, appearing as a vast expanse of gray-black, like an ancient wilderness.

Yet beyond these mountains, in the four directions, stood four small cities. One of them was Zi Yun. Outside Zi Yun City stood a temple, its incense curling gently; the pale purple-gray flowers of the Kulian tree bloomed like dreamlike mist, blending with the incense smoke, mysterious as a vision.

The Floating Pool Divine Lord cast a cold glance.

The Daoist sat cross-legged atop the temple roof; before him, a tea table had appeared, and he was already brewing tea.

…

Nine Heavens’ clouds, golden palace of the divine.

“Your Majesty! Something’s wrong!”

Before the Heavenly Emperor could speak, an old god asked:

“What’s the emergency?”

“Your Majesty and the Heavenly Mechanism Immortal, the two divine lords who were purging demons on Yishan—Chang She and Ju Fang—have vanished without trace. According to Baihong Immortal and Danhuo Zhenren, they saw the nine-tailed fox and were pursuing it when Lin Zhen used great divine power to seize them. Along with them vanished several warships, dozens of divine generals, and Baihong Immortal’s treasures.”

The divine official immediately reported:

“Also—also, the Floating Pool Divine Lord went to intercept him—and vanished with him.”

“Creation of Heaven and Earth…”

Emperor Zi, with his vast experience, had already guessed the nature of this divine art from the celestial anomalies.

“Don’t rush. Lin Zhen has tied up the Floating Pool, and the Floating Pool has tied him up—and this won’t hold the Floating Pool long,” Emperor Zi said calmly, holding his memorial scroll. “Have the four True Lords and two Supreme Immortals sent earlier to Fengshan returned?”

“They have returned, Your Majesty,” said the divine official. “We heard Lin Zhen possesses a divine art specifically targeting gods. Fortunately, it was only a projection—they weren’t trapped.”

“Dispatch them immediately to Yishan to replace Chang She and Ju Fang in suppressing demons. Also summon the Twenty-Eight Constellations of the Dou Division to assist. Meanwhile, have the Heavenly Mechanism Immortal swiftly locate Chang She and Ju Fang.”

“Yes!”

Said the divine official.

“Yes,” nodded the old god, smiling. “Lin Zhen has just mastered this art, and his focus is surely on the Floating Pool—he won’t hide them too deeply. He likely moved them to some remote wilderness beyond the sea or frontier. Let old god search them out one by one.”

“Hmm…”

“But in old god’s view, Yishan’s mountain god and the mountain itself are hard to breach. Even with four True Lords, they’re no match for Chang She and Ju Fang. Even with four Supreme Immortals added, there’s no guarantee they can break through Yishan.”

“No matter,” Emperor Zi waved his hand. “Wait for the Floating Pool to return.”

“Indeed…”

The old god smiled.

Other gods in the hall smiled too—they all came from the north, and for nearly a thousand years, they had complete faith in the Floating Pool Divine Lord.

The four True Lords were dispatched to Yishan.

With the two Supreme Immortals and the already present Baihong Immortal and Danhuo Zhenren, the site now held four True Lords and four True Immortals.

Within the mountain also dwelled a Five-Element Immortal, an eight-tailed white fox, four Yin-Yang Daoists, and a mountain god who governed the mountain’s spiritual essence.

A prolonged battle of siege and defense began.

…

At this moment, the Floating Pool Divine Lord faced a chessboard, across from a Daoist; both sat calmly.

“If I win, let me leave.”

“Agreed.”

The Daoist answered with confidence.

“Hmph! Do you think I’m good at combat but weak at chess? Do you underestimate me?”

“Not at all.”

“I take the black stones. Not to cheat you—I simply prefer black. I’ll even let you a few moves.”

The Floating Pool Divine Lord took the black stones.

Lin Jue said nothing, only rose slowly and poured him a cup of tea.

“Nowadays, people favor clear-brewed tea, different from your time. Actually, this tea trend was started by me. Try this jasmine tea.”

“Don’t waste time…”

The Divine Lord’s expression remained calm as he placed his stone.

…

In the golden palace of the heavens, a banquet was underway: immortal peaches, fine wine, candlelight, dancing, and divine aura swirling.

Emperor Zi waved his hand, and the celestial maidens withdrew.

“How goes the battle at Yishan?”

“Your Majesty, it remains at a stalemate.”

“Still not taken?”

“No victory report yet.”

“Four True Lords, four True Immortals, generals of the Fire, Thunder, Water, and Dou Divisions, fifty thousand heavenly soldiers and generals, plus earth-shaking divine arts—and still they cannot break Yishan? Utter incompetence!”

“Your Majesty, please calm down! Within Yishan, besides the mountain god, there are several immortals of great power—including a deeply cultivated Five-Element Immortal and the eight-tailed white fox who once trained with Lin Zhen. Whenever Baihong Immortal uses his earth-shaking art, the immortals and the white fox, aided by the mountain god, intercept him! The four True Lords have struggled to hold them off; Baihong Immortal nearly fell into the sea twice and was nearly slain!”

“Still incompetence? If Chang She and Ju Fang were still here, they wouldn’t dare act so boldly!”

Emperor Zi turned to an old god below:

Why haven’t you found the Two Divine Lords yet?

“Your Majesty…” The eternal immortal, usually so composed, now showed rare alarm: “For some reason, I cannot divine their whereabouts or glimpse their movements. I’ve had to summon the Two Spirit Officials of the Heavenly Eye and Golden Pupils to scour the earth repeatedly. They’ve examined every inch of the outer seas and the northern frontiers—not even a single ant escaped their gaze—but still, no trace of the Divine Lords.”

What of Fuchi?

“He has not returned either,” said the Lord of Heavenly Mechanisms. “He was likely detained by Lin Zhen, just as in Yuanqiu Immortal Realm—where one day inside equals one year outside. A moment’s delay means a month.”

“…”

The Purple Emperor pondered a moment, then smiled:

“How amusing—such a mere mortal has held out this long before so many Ninth Heaven Divine Lords, Spirit Officials, and Divine Generals.”

The hall fell utterly silent; no one spoke.

“The third purge of demons and monsters is imminent, yet we cannot even take a single Yishan—must I intervene personally…?”

The Purple Emperor’s gaze fell upon the immortal peach on the table before him.

Suddenly he reached out, gave it a casual push, and murmured lightly:

“Turn into mountains. Crush Yishan flat.”

With a soft thud, a fruit tray on a taller stand toppled over; several immortal peaches rolled forward, tumbled off the table, and vanished into the misty clouds beneath.

Yet the peaches did not strike the ground—they passed effortlessly through the mist below, spinning as they continued to fall. At first they remained peach-shaped, but after a few rotations, they transformed into stones, growing larger and larger as they plummeted. By the time they pierced through the Nine Heavens’ clouds, they had swelled to the size of mountains, each wider and longer than a great human city.

“Boom…”

Several mountains burst into flame and plummeted straight toward Yishan.