Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1061: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (69)

Ba Qi could technically be considered a god, but strictly speaking, it was more accurate to call him a false god.

The Voidless Moon World was merely a fragment world, essentially a tiny piece of the Main World. Gods born within a fragment world could never be recognized by the Main World. When a divine position from a fragment world overlapped with that of the Main World, the former would inevitably be erased.

Thus, when Ba Qi was forced to leave the Voidless Moon World—cast down from its divine pedestal and returned to the Main World—it didn't feel much sorrow. Unless it had decided to hide away in the fragment world forever, this outcome was inevitable.

But even so, false god or not, Ba Qi had already stepped into that realm, however briefly.

That made him far more aware than anyone else present of what the aura coming from the young man meant… a deity—and one from the Main World.

Deities possess divine might—an unparalleled authority born from the power of heaven and earth, a partial embodiment of the Main World's will. To mortals, this was sacred and inviolable.

Members of the Suzuki Association's enforcers and the Song Family’s private army stared blankly at the young man hovering above the altar. One by one, they fell into heartfelt worship.

At this moment, any form of disrespect would be a grave sin. That ancient, divine authority was rewriting their perception. Many even dropped their weapons.

Song Haoran stood frozen, watching his once-battle-hardened comrades now kneeling in reverence. The scene felt strangely familiar.

Such solemn worship reminded Song Haoran of his past expedition in the City of Gold—when he had obtained the Sun God's Emblem. Back then, an ancient deity had also dwelled in a temple.Now, an instinctive urge to kneel surged within him. Yet the Sun God’s Emblem he wore began to gently tremble. At the same time, a strange whisper echoed in his ears.

The whisper seemed to dispel his reverence. Soon, Song Haoran regained clarity. But even so, he followed the others’ lead—lowering his head and dropping to one knee, a blank look on his face.

Had Ba Qi not been so focused on the descending god, it might’ve noticed Song Haoran’s odd behavior. But even if it had, it wouldn’t have had the capacity to care.

Ba Qi was deeply concerned. This escort mission would not be easy—it might even cost its own life.

That was a god… a deity from the Main World. The only question now was—which one?

Elsewhere, Zi Xing, who had been freed by Ren Zhen from the crystal pillar, also began to awaken under the pressure of the divine might. Her blurry consciousness slowly cleared.

But her life force had been almost completely drained, even the source of her Yin Wolf Star power nearly exhausted. Now as frail as someone on the brink of death, she could barely lift her head, unable to speak. Her only thought was: When did those modern, armed people arrive?

Zi Xing grew anxious.

Meanwhile, Ren Zhen—stunned by the descending deity—was rapidly assessing the situation. Suddenly, a cruel glint flashed in his eyes.

He silently flipped his palm, where a black orb of light began to form. Without warning, he hurled it at the young man in the sky.

“It’s just a god temporarily possessing a human host—at best, just a wisp of divine soul. Without the vessel, it's nothing!”

Ren Zhen was truly ruthless. Seeing the god's soul and vessel about to fully merge, he knew that once completed, neither he nor Ba Qi would survive. He had no choice but to take the risk!

But just before the black orb struck, the young man casually reached out his hand. The orb was instantly obliterated!

At the same time, Ren Zhen felt as though a mountain had crushed him. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the altar. The force was so great his kneecaps cracked on impact.

Ren Zhen was horrified—he hadn’t expected the fusion to happen so quickly!

"We welcome the arrival of the Benevolent and Sacred Great Emperor of Mount Tai, Equal to Heaven, of the Eastern Peak!" The bronze-masked man immediately kowtowed, prostrating himself on the ground, his reverence extraordinary. (Note: Eastern Yue was changed to Eastern Peak) The Benevolent and Sacred Great Emperor of Mount Tai, Equal to Heaven, of the Eastern Peak... Hearing this, both Ren Zhen and Ba Qi were dumbfounded, minds roaring with disbelief.

Only one thought remained: How did they summon that god?

The Eastern Peak's Mount Tai, Equal to Heaven, Benevolent and Sacred Emperor—Deity of Mt. Tai, ruler of the souls of the dead…

Such overwhelming divine might couldn’t possibly be faked. Without hesitation, Ba Qi knelt on the crystal pillar—it had no intention of ending up like Ren Zhen, whose knees had shattered. But its gaze remained cold as it stared toward the altar.

Meanwhile, the floating young man—Zhan’er—swept his gaze across the room.

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the great tomb. Zhan’er’s lips didn’t move—the sound came from the divine soul within him.

“This is the Edict for a Lord’s Sacrificial Rite. Since I have been summoned—where is the offering?”

The bronze-masked man raised his head respectfully. “Great Emperor, the offerings are prepared.”

He stood and stretched out his hands. “This altar has absorbed the life and energy of hundreds of Daoists and Demon Tribe souls. These are the offerings I humbly present. I implore the Great Emperor to resurrect the one in the crystal coffin—the 70th generation of Heavenly Heart!”

“Granted.”

Zhan’er’s voice rang calmly in everyone’s ears.

The bronze-masked man was elated and bowed again. “Thank you, Great Emperor!”

But then Zhan’er spoke again:

“However, your offering is insufficient.”

The bronze-masked man suddenly looked up in shock. “Insufficient? For a Lord’s Rite, a life for a life—this altar contains hundreds of powerful lives… H-how can it not be enough?”

Zhan’er replied indifferently,

“The person in the coffin has no remaining life force. To restore that, a small portion of offerings is enough. However, their three souls and seven spirits have dispersed. To fully resurrect them—to gather what has been lost—requires much more.”

“More offerings?” The bronze-masked man instinctively looked beyond the altar.

To bring the dead back to life was to reverse the natural order of yin and yang. A high price would be expected.

More offerings…

The first person in his line of sight was Ren Zhen—still crushed on the altar by divine pressure.

Indeed, many offerings had arrived.

The bronze-masked man raised a hand, lightning sparking as his Lightning Technique surged through his body.

Ren Zhen’s expression turned icy—he understood what was about to happen.

The bronze-masked man shot into the air and struck without hesitation, aiming his hand at Ren Zhen’s skull. Ren Zhen, paralyzed by divine power, couldn’t resist.

The bronze-masked man's palm landed, and the powerful lightning surged into Ren Zhen’s body, making him groan in pain.

But at that moment, a purple light shot silently from behind—like a poisonous arrow, it pierced the bronze-masked man’s body.

Instantly, his spiritual power fell into chaos.

In the blink of an eye, a figure shot up onto the altar with incredible speed and struck the bronze-masked man with a palm, sending him flying violently!

“Suzuki Chun Xin”… Ba Qi!

The bronze-masked man tumbled all the way to the edge of the altar, nearly falling off—but he managed to grab hold at the last second.

He staggered to his feet, but blood was trickling from beneath his mask… Clearly, the sneak attack had injured him badly.

He quickly used his fingers to seal his wounds and was about to make another move.

“Hold on a moment,” Ba Qi suddenly interrupted coldly. “The one you summoned may not be the Mt. Tai Deity!”

The bronze-masked man’s hand froze slightly… With a wave of his sleeve, he snorted, “Utter nonsense!”

“Whether it’s nonsense, you’ll find out soon.” Ba Qi smiled calmly, composed on the outside but panicking internally.

He turned and helped the heavily injured Ren Zhen to his feet. The two exchanged a glance, seemingly communicating silently. Ba Qi even gently touched the palm of Ren Zhen’s hand, at which Ren Zhen’s eyes narrowed slightly, then closed completely as if to meditate and recover.

Then, Ba Qi turned sharply and looked up at the airborne “Zhan’er,” cupping his hands in respect. “May I ask, what divine rank does the honored god hold?”

“I am the Heavenly Emperor of Mount Tai in Eastern Peak, the Deity of Mount Tai. Do not be insolent!” The voice of 'Zhan’er' rang out from all directions.

Ba Qi sneered. “The Mt. Tai Deity has long been known. The Mt. Tai Deity governs both life and death, reversing yin and yang, resurrecting the dead… A god older than the underworld itself. I don’t doubt the legitimacy of the Mt. Tai rites. However… is the honored god here really capable of such feats?”

“He’s not the Mt. Tai Deity?” the bronze-masked man blurted in disbelief. “Impossible! The edict cannot be fake!”

Ba Qi stared intently at 'Zhan’er' and said slowly, “A god’s dignity allows no blasphemy. What I’ve said should already count as grave disrespect… yet this god doesn’t seem very angry?”

“Ignorant mortal. Would this emperor stoop to your level?”

“Stoop to my level?” Ba Qi now seemed certain and mocked, “Perhaps it’s not that you won’t, but that you can’t. You exploded with divine might the moment you appeared—how much strength do you have left?”

“Nonsense!”

Ba Qi chuckled again. “Let’s assume you truly are a wisp of the Mt. Tai Deity’s divine will. Even so, you should possess divine authority. But I’ve never heard of a god not exercising their divine role.”

'Zhan’er' remained silent.

The bronze-masked man spoke coldly, “He’s really not the Mt. Tai Deity?”

Ba Qi replied with a smirk, “Maybe he is, maybe he isn’t… But even if he is, he can’t bring back the one in that coffin. Yes, the Mt. Tai Deity once governed life and death—but that was before the underworld existed. After the ten Yama Kings and the Six Paths of Reincarnation were established, a more complete system took over. The god may still hold the title, but his divine duties likely no longer remain. You descended but concealed this fact, and even demanded more sacrifices… Not a good look! If you were truly the divine emperor, even as a mere divine wisp, it would be child’s play to take our lives. Why rely on him to act?”

The bronze-masked man slowly looked toward 'Zhan’er' in the sky.

Ba Qi sneered. “You probably have a reason why you can’t act directly—and you’re asking for more sacrifices because you’re weak! You're so weak that the moment you merged with this body, you had to release divine might just to intimidate us! You didn’t strike yourself because your power is all bark and no bite!”

“That’s only your speculation,” 'Zhan’er' replied calmly. “Perhaps I simply don’t care to act. Or maybe I have other reasons. And you—daring to provoke me—aren’t you afraid of having your soul obliterated?”

Ba Qi wasn’t scared at all. “Since setting foot on Divine Land, something has felt off—especially here at Mt. Tai. A god as ancient as the Mt. Tai Deity should be constantly nourished by mortal incense. There are plenty of temples here and many that worship the Eastern Peak Emperor, yet there’s no incense power at all. Even if a god loses their authority over yin and yang, their divine seat is real… Incense power should still come passively. Its absence means the divine seat may be gone—or that the true Mt. Tai Deity has left this world, and that’s why the incense can’t reach him.”

Then Ba Qi looked back at the bronze-masked man and sneered. “You believe the edict is real, and this one claims to be the true Mt. Tai Deity… So I can only think of one possibility: the real Mt. Tai Deity has fallen or departed for unknown reasons, and this one remains within the edict. But no matter what, as a divine remnant, you can no longer draw power from the original. Like a dying man craving water… and we are that water, aren’t we?”

At this, 'Zhan’er' slowly descended onto the altar, his pitch-black pupils glowing faintly. “You’re quite clever.”

Ba Qi asked, “So you admit it?”

'Zhan’er' smiled faintly. “It’s all just your speculation. Where’s your actual proof?”

Ba Qi shrugged. “Too bad for you… I’ve been a god myself. Your burst of divine might did scare me—but that’s exactly what gave you away. The divine aura you released carries information that mortals can’t detect… but I can.”

“Hahahaha!” 'Zhan’er' burst into crazed laughter. “You’re far smarter than that first emperor… Consider it a reward—I’ll take your soul myself! You're right, I’m weak right now, but taking your lives is still a simple matter!”

A violent aura erupted from 'Zhan’er'!

Winds howled, ghostly energy surged, and a murderous aura filled the air!

“Damn it! This isn’t some celestial emperor—it’s a freaking Evil God who’s gone mad!” Ba Qi cursed loudly, then shouted, “Ren Zhen, if you don’t act now, you’ll be cleaning up my corpse!!”

Ren Zhen suddenly opened his eyes. His hand snapped open and swept out—three thin purple beams shot like needles at 'Zhan’er'!

'Zhan’er' snorted coldly and swiped his hand. The purple needles vanished instantly—but then his brow furrowed.

He turned his palm over… and saw a single needle had embedded itself at some point.

Ba Qi chuckled and slowly withdrew his hand. “If I really wanted to sneak attack you, you think I’d say it out loud? Idiot!”

“Trickery,” 'Zhan’er' scoffed and focused his mind. The needle was instantly expelled. “Petty tricks… huh?”

His expression suddenly changed.

(End of Chapter)

I hate this chapter. The long strings of title got me dizzy! lol

Anyways... The Six Paths of Reincarnation or Cycle of Samsara, in which sentient beings are reborn into one of six realms:

天道 (Heaven/Deva)

阿修罗道 (Asura)

人道 (Human)

畜生道 (Animal)

饿鬼道 (Hungry Ghost)

地狱道 (Hell)

This concept is shared across Daoist and Buddhist cosmology and directly relates to the functions of underworld deities like the Yama Kings and Mount Tai Emperor.

Also, Mount Tai has 156 peaks.