Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Descent of the Nine Heavens and Ten Nets—Heaven’s Summons, Part One

It is said that this journey along the Path of Heavenly Guidance proved far more perilous than Haodan had anticipated. All their previous encounters had seen disaster averted at the last moment; without the Eastern Lord awakening in time from his slumber, Haodan’s fate would likely have been sealed, perhaps even resulting in his death. One must realize that each of those frenzied desert dragons possessed the power to kill him with ease.

Within the glacial abyss, every inch of the ice radiated a celestial blue, each slab crystal-clear, mirroring the forms of Haodan and the Heavenly Soul upon its surface, refracting countless reflections. Ordinary spirits would not cast such images, but the Heavenly Soul was no common being. Not only did he take on human shape, but he possessed self-awareness, and his instincts alone imbued him with much of the former power of Emperor Taiyi. For Haodan to defeat him would be as futile as an egg striking a rock—an act of utter folly. Even if the Heavenly Soul merely toyed with him, he could easily slay Haodan in a careless instant. Thus, the Heavenly Soul could neither kill him nor submit; only conquest remained. Yet Haodan was not one to yield so easily.

After their agreement, both Haodan and the Heavenly Soul swore oaths: whoever emerged victorious must adhere to their promise and undergo fusion. Now, both sides schemed against the other. The Heavenly Soul, wary of harming his own essence, could not simply erase Haodan’s consciousness, for even if he seized the body, it would render fusion impossible and prevent him from absorbing the human soul to regain his memories. Yet he could slowly, imperceptibly, devour Haodan’s awareness, little by little. Should Haodan’s consciousness be consumed without his knowledge, the Heavenly Soul would seize his body and complete the fusion, and the true Haodan would vanish forever.

By now, the two had entered the Eastern Emperor’s world. Outside, the Eastern Lord had arrived at the very palace where Haodan and the Heavenly Soul had met. He surveyed the traces of their recent battle, the corners of his lips curving in a subtle, inscrutable smile, and muttered to himself, “Now that he’s been lured into the Eastern Emperor’s world, the plan is already half complete. May you succeed, my liege!”

Earlier, the Eastern Lord had sent a mental message to Haodan: “If there is no other way, lure him into the Eastern Emperor’s world!”

Meanwhile, a dramatic scene was unfolding in secret. Several figures arrived at the Land of Heavenly Guidance right under the watchful eyes of the omniscient ‘I, Luoyu,’ who made no move to stop them. After saluting him, they entered directly through the gate of the Tower of Heavenly Guidance, while ‘I, Luoyu’ watched the events unfold with indifference.

These five were the ‘Lower Five Lords’ under the command of the Nine Heavens and Ten Lords, also known as five celestials of the Ninth Heaven: the Golden Fox Fairy Miao Qianxun, the Yellow Celestial Akamatsu, the Stingless White Fairy Aunt Qian, the Entwined Willow Fairy Qiansisi, and the Shadow-Drifting Grey Fairy Mo Maomao—three women and two men, each clad in robes of five colors. All had cultivated for centuries and possessed personal treasures suited to their natures, having risen from mountain spirits and wild beasts to attain immortality.

“Limitless Jade Bracelet, Miao Qianxun.”
“Breath-drawing Spirit Whip, Akamatsu.”
“Phoenix Crown and Golden Rings, Aunt Qian.”
“Azure Willow Heart Chain, Qiansisi.”
“Silver Streak Sky Shuttle, Mo Maomao.”

These five, like their superiors, served as celestial officers beneath the Grand Marshal Yan Lietian of the Eighth Heaven. Though their treasures fell short of the supreme artifacts, they were far beyond those of common immortals. Yet, due to their overreliance on such treasures and neglect of their own cultivation, they remained among the Lower Five Lords.

In contrast, the Upper Five Lords possessed formidable strength and would not lightly wield their treasures in battle unless facing an adversary on par with the Grand Marshal Yan Lietian.

Mo Maomao, as the progenitor of grey mice, boasted a keen sense of smell, which allowed them to track Haodan’s scent unerringly. This ability was owed to Yan Lietian, whose role as chief enforcer of the Sect’s Judicial Division granted him many means; if he wished to locate Haodan, it was a simple feat. Using a drop of blood shed by Haodan during a previous beating, Mo Maomao could pursue his trail. Yan Lietian had paid Haodan extra attention, for Xiaobailing had once held him in such high regard—surely, he was no ordinary figure.

The five quickly arrived at the yellow sand wasteland. Upon witnessing the scene, all were inwardly shocked, for such a hellish battlefield was unprecedented, even for celestials of their rank. What kind of being could slaughter so many desert dragons with such brutality?

A cold gasp escaped Qiansisi, the Willow Fairy, as she recoiled from the carnage, her cool features tinged with a trace of murderous resolve. “Such power… I fear we cannot contend with it. Sister Qianxun, what do you advise we do?”

Aunt Qian, the White Fairy, spoke calmly, analyzing their foe’s strength. “Even with our combined efforts, we could not have dispatched these desert dragons in this fashion.”

“Brother Akamatsu, please inform the Upper Five Lords of what has transpired here at once. We shall await their arrival before making any further moves.” The Golden Fox Fairy, Miao Qianxun, hovered gracefully in midair, her usual coquettishness replaced by gravity.

“Very well, I shall go at once!” Akamatsu, a yellow weasel who had cultivated to immortality, was crafty and cautious. He had already discerned, before the others, that if the five of them ventured ahead recklessly, they stood no chance of victory.

Of course, they did not know that all this carnage was the work of the Eastern Lord, not Haodan. Who could say how they might feel if they learned the truth?

With those words, Akamatsu transformed into a streak of golden-yellow light, shooting toward the entrance of the Tower of Heavenly Guidance.

...

Meanwhile, within the Eastern Emperor’s world, Haodan was being utterly defeated by the Heavenly Soul. Both now existed in spirit form, and as the Earthly Soul, Haodan was powerless against his adversary, especially since the Heavenly Soul was holding back considerably.

“Pathetic,” the Heavenly Soul sneered, arms folded in arrogance.

“No! I cannot lose! Xiao… Bailing!” Collapsed atop a sealed divine altar, Haodan’s mind echoed with the vision of Xiao Bailing’s radiant smile. She awaited his rescue; he could not fall here.

Throughout their battle, the ancestral witches sealed here by Emperor Taiyi watched in silence, not uttering a single roar. When Haodan was nearly struck down into the altar, they quickly shoved him out, as if they found him intolerable—an almost farcical scene.

Haodan’s will was steadily eroding. Though their duel lasted only a few exchanges, it felt interminable to him. He was only a few paces from the Heavenly Soul, but each attempt to approach was met with a merciless rebuff, sent flying by a mere glance. This was his first taste of the ‘Taiyi Gaze’—a supernatural power of the Heavenly Soul: a pair of bloodshot, sinister red eyes that, upon meeting one’s own, seemed to sap all strength, freezing time and space for a heartbeat before hurling him away with explosive force. Even so, Haodan’s indomitable spirit urged him to rise again, only to be swept up by a mere stomp of the Heavenly Soul, a cyclone flinging him a thousand fathoms high, depositing him once more atop an altar.

Peering from afar at the Heavenly Soul’s cold and disdainful expression, Haodan’s vision blurred. He lay half-prostrate on the altar, left hand barely supporting his weight, jaw clenched in unwillingness. He could not rise. Surely, the Eastern Lord had a reason for luring the Heavenly Soul into this world, though Haodan did not know what it was. Yet he still wished to persevere, hoping for a miracle—or for the Eastern Lord to come to his aid.

The Heavenly Soul gazed at him coldly, almost as if he could read Haodan’s eyes. “You, once an emperor, now await rescue from others. Do you know why you cannot defeat me?”

“Why…?” Haodan’s vision was failing; he forced out the words.

“Because you are worthless. Utterly and completely worthless.” His voice dripped with mockery, contempt, and impatience.

“Heh… heh… As long as I’m not dead, I am not defeated!” Haodan forced himself upright, gathering his strength to stand, spitting out his words in defiance.

At that moment, a chorus of voices erupted—the ten ancestral witches sealed by Emperor Taiyi roared, “Well said! So long as we live, we are not defeated! Taiyi, you can never destroy us—not utterly! As long as there is life, one day we shall rise again and sweep across the Eastern world! Hahaha!”

“Young man, you speak the truth! Hahaha!”

The atmosphere suddenly thickened. An overwhelming, boundless malice radiated from the Heavenly Soul.

“Silence!” Offended by the rabble, the Heavenly Soul stamped his foot in the void. A ripple of strange sigils swept toward the altars.

With a thunderous boom, all ten altars shook violently. The ancestral witches within were rendered incoherent, their rebellious roars stifled by the quake.

“This is between you and me. They have nothing to do with it!”

Haodan took a step forward, barely able to stand, moving step by step into the endless void, meteors streaking beneath his feet. As master of this world, he could traverse the emptiness at will.

“If you can still stand, then show me your true power. Do not hope for rescue—such is not the instinct of a true warrior!” The Heavenly Soul, seeing Haodan’s stubborn defiance, found himself unexpectedly appreciative.

Just then, Haodan suddenly erupted—

“Heaven and Earth Divine Art, Mystical Gate: Wounded Gate—Frost Dominates the World!” This was a technique Haodan had comprehended in the land of glaciers: the Wounded Gate Art, unleashing the power of frost to freeze the world in an instant; even here, it could seal the void with ice.

Before the Heavenly Soul could finish his words, Haodan invoked the divine art taught to him by Xiao Bailing. He would not let her down—he would master this art and surpass her.

...

He remembered in days past, within the Illusory Spirit Realm, Xiao Bailing would stamp her foot and scold him, “You fool! Utterly hopeless!”

“Come on, Xiao Bailing—even you didn’t master this Wounded Gate technique overnight. Don’t think I don’t know; Senior Lu Ya told me everything!” Haodan had grumbled, frustrated, for the art was profound beyond measure. Even in the Celestial Realm, it would take one as learned as Daoist Lu Ya years to fully master ‘Frost Dominates the World.’ How long had Haodan been practicing it?

“Still daring to talk back? See if I don’t beat you so you can’t sleep tonight! You’re on night duty!” Only there, in the Illusory Spirit Realm, could Haodan recall days of carefree joy with Xiao Bailing, full of laughter and mischief—though he was always the one being bullied, he cherished those times all the more now. The memory brought a pang of sorrow.

Yet all beautiful things are fleeting, and only in memories, when one dares not look back, does one sense their lasting presence.

How he wished those days could have lasted longer. The more he missed them, the more his instincts surged. Though his power could not compare to the Heavenly Soul’s innate might, he had still studied the Wounded Gate art. Drawing on the insights gained from the glacier cave, he now awakened his understanding of frost, unleashing ‘Frost Dominates the World.’

At this moment, Haodan formed seals with his hands, chanting, as frost spread from beneath his feet, swiftly surging toward the Eastern Emperor’s Heavenly Soul. Wherever it passed, the void was layered with thick ice, advancing to the Heavenly Soul’s very toes.

“Is that all? Is this your best?” The Heavenly Soul remained calm, hands folded behind his back, his arrogance undiminished. To him, the art was riddled with flaws.

What happens next? The answer awaits in the following chapter!