Chapter Sixty-Nine: The Sacred Path—All Tribes Pay Homage

There are those in the world with powers beyond comprehension, yet none can truly say who they are. But Di Jun and Tai Yi wish to rule over all beings between heaven and earth. Nan Luo could hardly believe it, yet disbelief was not an option, for at that moment, the void suddenly trembled, and a voice descended from the heavens, sweeping instantly across the land: "Atop Buzhou Mountain, the Celestial Court is established. In thirty-three days, all tribes shall pay homage!"

If what had just been said was only Fuxi's words, there remained a sliver of doubt in Nan Luo's heart. But now, with the voice echoing throughout the world, that faint disbelief shattered completely.

Nan Luo had never imagined anyone possessing such immense power as to broadcast their voice across all of heaven and earth. It reminded him of his own master, the Grandmaster of Profound Mysteries; all along, he had considered his master and the Phoenix Palace Lord to be the most exalted beings beneath the heavens... Yet upon hearing this voice, his conviction wavered.

The voice resounded with grandeur and dominance, and as it faded, another sound swept through the wilderness—a bell tolling in the void.

When the bell rang again, Nan Luo felt that none within this world could rival the one who made this bell resound through the primordial heavens.

The peal of the bell brought silence to heaven and earth; in ear, in heart, in soul, there was nothing but the bell's resonance. All seemed to halt, even thoughts ceased to exist. Inside and outside the body, through nine heavens and the netherworld, only the bell remained.

Nan Luo had not even the will to resist; his body was out of control, his mind blank...

It was a kind of intimidation, a domineering force that suppressed all living beings.

As the bell continued to echo, Nan Luo lost all ability to think the instant it sounded.

Yet throughout heaven and earth, at this moment, many places saw tides of power rising to the skies—some sharp, some vast, some upright, some wild, some sinister.

Countless mighty beings, at the moment the bell tolled, resisted its overwhelming dominance with their own powers and aura.

As the bell reverberated, the deep mountains and great marshes of the world gradually fell silent; many could no longer maintain their aura, barely able to protect themselves...

Yet some persisted. On Kunlun Mountain, a vast righteous energy supported the space above its summit; in the East Sea, an island shrouded in murderous intent enveloped a region; in the far west, faint golden light, carrying ethereal chanting, upheld another space.

On the earth, a dozen places surged with baleful energy, roars and howls faintly rising to the sky, only to be swiftly suppressed by the bell.

Besides these, many weaker fields struggled against the bell, borrowing the power of mountains and rivers to stand against a toll that seemed to anchor heaven and earth itself. Yet the bell, alone, suppressed all such mighty beings...

"Dong... dong... dong..."

The bell's vibration shook heaven and earth, as if time itself could halt, as if it could scatter souls.

After thirty-three tolls, silence fell once more.

"If any dare defy and refuse, their entire clan shall be annihilated..."

Nan Luo came to his senses only when the voice sounded again, realizing the bell had ceased. Yet in his mind, the words kept turning: If any dare defy and refuse, their entire clan shall be annihilated. Such words were tyrannical, far more audacious than anything he had witnessed before, far surpassing the wildness of Xingtian, and the power was overwhelming.

"There truly exists such a formidable person in this world," Nan Luo murmured...

"This person has likely already stepped into the Saintly Path. Whether it is Di Jun or Tai Yi—or perhaps both—they may have entered the Saintly Path," Fuxi gazed at the sky and spoke serenely.

Nan Luo was puzzled, never having heard of the Saintly Path, and inquired, "What is the Saintly Path? Was that just now considered as such?"

"Those who have not stepped into the Saintly Path can never know its true nature. But the bell just now was already above all living beings. The Phoenix atop Buzhou Mountain once reached an incomplete nirvana, but ultimately fell..." Fuxi looked skyward as he spoke, his eyes deep as the stars.

"What kind of realm is the Saintly Path? If it stands above all beings, then those beneath are but ants..." Nan Luo was shaken, recalling his utter helplessness moments ago, his thoughts adrift, and the mountaintop silent.

Fuxi seemed lost in thought as well, his brows furrowed.

Nan Luo came back to himself, gazing at the valley, and said, "We human beings are also among the myriad creatures of heaven and earth. Does that mean we too must pay homage at the Celestial Court atop Buzhou Mountain?"

"Yes, we must go. Though the human race is weak in this world, and will be but a negligible presence among the myriad tribes, not going would make us an example for easy extermination," Fuxi replied firmly.

"I wonder how many will go. When should we leave?" Nan Luo asked, looking at Fuxi's figure with loose black hair, unconsciously using the word "we"...

Though he felt that stirring in his heart, he was not someone who would speak such words. He thought only of protecting the Yangping tribe, never of safeguarding all humanity.

Looking at the corpses in the valley, Nan Luo suddenly felt the man seated before him was truly grand; without him, the humans around Buzhou Mountain would surely perish.

Nan Luo could imagine: the Phoenix, already half-stepped into the Saintly Path, had fallen; how fierce must that battle have been, and defenseless humans caught in its wake would have no chance of survival...

"This is not urgent. For the Celestial Court to truly subdue all beings, there must yet be struggle. Though they have now used supreme power to suppress gods and spirits, few will genuinely submit. So the day when the Celestial Court unifies heaven and earth will come only after decades, even centuries."

Fuxi spoke quietly, as if recounting a fact. To him, whether events had happened or not, he spoke as if he had seen and heard them personally, describing them with clarity, as though there was nothing within heaven and earth he did not know.

In Nan Luo's eyes, Fuxi now possessed an air of guiding the world and discoursing on the cosmos...

This reminded him of the mighty beings he had encountered: his master on Kunlun Mountain, seemingly beyond worldly passions; the proud and aloof Kong Xuan; the cold and peerless Xuan Ming. Now there was another, wise and insightful, who could discuss the fate of heaven and earth—Fuxi.

"Oh, right, I haven't thanked you yet for saving my life!" Nan Luo suddenly remembered and spoke.

Fuxi gently stroked the jade-white zither resting on his knee, then put it away. He stood, looked at Nan Luo, and smiled, "It seems you ended up fighting him because of me!"

Nan Luo was puzzled, but Fuxi sighed and said, "The corpses of the tribesmen in this valley, I gathered from nearby, intending to bury them here... Today, that one was the first mosquito to attain Dao in this world, calling himself Mosquito Daoist, with a taste for fresh blood. He was likely drawn here by the scent, and you happened to encounter him."

Nan Luo chuckled, "Had I not met him today, I would surely have clashed with him another time. My powers are insufficient, so I could not slay him with my sword."

"Power is gained only through time. But I noticed your method of using your treasure was somewhat awkward, not yet unleashing its full strength. If not for that, even if you couldn't slay Mosquito Daoist, you would not have lost to him."

"Awkward? Though I haven't mastered the best way to wield my treasure, I have already fused it with my own energy, mind and spirit connected. How could it be awkward?" Nan Luo asked in confusion.

"Heh, your method of refining your treasure with your own spiritual energy, day and night, is slow but excellent. On this basis, I have discovered a way to more quickly bring out the power of treasures, a method for consecrating them."

Indeed, there are methods for consecrating treasures, as Kong Xuan once said: cultivation is simply absorbing the primordial energy of heaven and earth for one's own use. Knowing is one thing, but without concrete steps, cultivation is extremely difficult.

Nan Luo smiled, "I cannot accept your method for consecrating treasures. You are a fellow of the human race, and if I take your method, what if you wish something of me in the future—how could I refuse?"

Fuxi laughed heartily, "Would saving your life not already count as a favor owed? If debts must be counted, you would have trouble repaying already."

"That doesn't count, since you said it was because of you. Thus, I never intended to repay your saving my life," Nan Luo replied with a smile.

"Haha..."

Of course, these were just playful words. Fuxi was not someone who demanded favors returned, and Nan Luo was not one to forget acts of kindness.

He had always considered himself somewhat cold in temperament, unwilling to concern himself with matters beyond his own affairs, yet whenever events unfolded before him, his heart could not help but stir.