Chapter 2549: Conflict
The voice contained inexplicable authority. All living beings in this world heard it and felt an overwhelming urge to kneel and kowtow.
The weaker shamans had already caved in and fallen to their knees. Meanwhile, Kuafu was barely holding on, but his creaking bones and trembling muscles showed that he was barely stopping himself.
As for Xingtian, he stared at the sky with an air of valiance. This hinted that he was significantly stronger than Kuafu.
Zu An initially felt compelled to kneel too, but his Seven-Colored Divine Halo suddenly shone, and the pressure he felt lightened. He quickly pulled the collapsing Mermaid Queen behind him. He was taken aback to see Yumen Beiqing standing calmly, but he still reached out to protect her with his divine halo.
As for the Goddess of Wu Mountain, she stood completely unfazed by the pressure.
There was no need for introductions; it was obvious to Zu An that the person who had just spoken was the legendary Celestial Emperor, though the other party’s aura felt weirdly familiar. It feels like the person who bestowed me with the Sun Slaying Bow the last time I was here.
“That is?” Zu An glanced at the Goddess of Wu Mountain.
The Goddess of Wu Mountain approached him with a surprised look. She appeared to be curious about his Seven-Colored Divine Halo. “That is Zhong Mountain, where Gu lives.”
Xingtian remarked with a frown, “Zhong Mountain is Ancestral Shaman Zhulong’s territory, and Gu is Zhulong’s son. Isn’t the Celestial Emperor going overboard here?”
Many believed Zhulong to be the strongest Ancestral Shaman. He had many legends surrounding him, such as daybreak being the moment he opened his eyes, and nightfall being the moment he closed them...
Unsurprisingly, a terrifying aura suddenly flared from Zhong Mountain, as if a formidable being had been jolted awake. Unlike the Celestial Emperor’s authoritative and dignified aura, this aura was wild and terrifying. In comparison to the Celestial Emperor's, however, the latter didn’t pale at all.
Cheers came from the nearby mountains. They were likely shamans, standing in a united front against the Celestial Court.
“Zhuanxu, you have overstepped your boundary,” a deep voice boomed, shaking the earth.
The incumbent Celestial Emperor is indeed Zhuanxu. It was Zhuanxu who gave me the Sun Slaying Bow back then, Zu An thought.
He couldn’t resist the urge to look beneath his feet with a shaky gaze. It was rumored that Zhulong was an indescribably massive snake, and thanks to ‘One Drop of Heaven’s Essence’[1] Zu An was extremely sensitive to mountainous leylines. n𝚘𝚟pub.𝚌o𝚖
Zu An had felt the entire mountain range slowly moving earlier. Could the entire Spirit Mountain be Zhulong? How humongous must he be then?
A ray of golden light pierced through the clouds and scattered over the mortal world. A massive golden figure appeared in midair, emanating an air of authority, divinity, and power...
Countless adjectives flashed through Zu An’s mind, but nothing felt apt here. He could clearly see the golden figure’s appearance, but as soon as he turned away, he forgot about the other party’s physical details. All he could remember was the other party’s overwhelming air of authority and divinity.
This was the Celestial Emperor’s aura!
Celestial Emperor Zhuanxu said impassively, “Gu, as a celestial, violated the celestial rules by killing Bao Jiang to steal an immortal medicine. Such a crime cannot be condoned!”
A series of images showing Gu murdering Bao Jiang appeared in midair.
Zu An was stunned. These projected images were more detailed than what the projection conjured by the Goddess of Wu Mountain had revealed. Does the Celestial Emperor have the ability to see everything that happens in this world?
A commotion broke out across the mountain range. The crowd had only spoken out in support of Zhulong because they didn’t know about Gu’s deeds.
Bao Jiang had a good reputation on Spirit Mountain for his amicable and kind-hearted personality. He had never turned down anyone who requested medicine or treatment from him, so many people were fond of him. Those who had previously received Bao Jiang’s help criticized Gu for his cruelty.
Those images stunned Zhulong, and he fell into a prolonged silence.
Just then, a green-robed woman on Zhong Mountain said, “My son must have fallen for Qin’s deception out of folly. Celestial Emperor, I implore you to spare my immature son!”
Even though her face was concealed by her unkempt hair, her physique suggested that her appearance could be unflattering. Her very presence caused the surrounding trees to wither and the ground to crack.
Zu An could feel a powerful heat wave even from a distance away.
The last time he was here, the Spirit Mountain’s Ten Shamans had told him that Zhulong’s wife was the Yellow Emperor’s daughter. She'd lost her divine powers while aiding her father in his fight against Chiyou, resulting in her inability to return to the Celestial Court. Forced to stay in the mortal world, she'd turned into a Ba that was shunned and feared by everyone. Lands would be scorched wherever she appeared.
That should be her.
The Celestial Emperor fell silent, but he eventually shook his head and declared, “Such a grievous sin cannot be overlooked. If Gu isn’t killed, the celestial laws will be undermined!”
He slowly raised his finger. A ray of golden light fell on Zhong Mountain, and it dragged Gu, who was hiding in one of the caverns, out.
Gu panicked. He struggled with all his might, but he couldn’t break free of the golden light. He screamed, “Mother, save me!”
The green-robed woman panicked. She flew over to save her son, only for the golden light to ricochet her away. Knowing she was no match for the Celestial Emperor, she shouted, “Zhulong, hurry up and save your son!”
Zhulong didn’t answer. Zhong Mountain was silent.
Before the green-robed woman could say anything, Gu cried out miserably. He was pinned against Zhong Mountain’s eastern cliff, his life force severed for good. His bloodshot eyes were filled with disbelief.
Zu An was intrigued. The Celestial Emperor sure is domineering, to kill Zhulong’s son on his turf.
The Celestial Emperor continued his declaration, “Celestial Er Fu has murdered Yayu. Considering that he was incited by Gu and Wei Yueyan, I’ll spare him from death and instead imprison him at Shushu Mountain's cliff for three thousand years.”
A woman screamed. Wei Yueyan, who had been hiding in Er Fu’s palace, was vanquished by a divine light falling from the sky, not even leaving a corpse behind. Another ray of divine light transported Er Fu to the distant Shushu Mountain.
“What airs from the Celestial Emperor! Have you forgotten the agreement for the Fiend races to manage heaven while we, the Shaman races, manage earth? Why are you kicking up a fuss on our turf now?” a cold voice echoed.
Dozens of massive water dragons surged over from the distance. The deluge of water caused the golden light in the sky to dim a little.
“It’s Ancestral Shaman Gonggong! Gonggong is here!” The shamans cheered.
What happened earlier had felt like a slap to the Shaman races’ face. Many of the hardliners among the Shaman races were dissatisfied with Zhulong’s concession to the Celestial Emperor. Now that Gonggong was here, they felt as if they'd finally found their backing.
1. This is a book written in the Song dynasty about predicting the future using one’s Eight Birth Characters. ☜