Volume One: The Turmoil of Yan and Yun Chapter Seventy-Seven: Breaking the Deadlock (II)

The Batong River had become a wasteland, its ruins littered with the corpses of many who had fallen. The rows of houses lining both banks had long since collapsed, the once sprawling roads shattered and broken, the air thick with dust and smoke.

The condition of the Astrologer of the Seven Virtues was dire; his voluminous ceremonial robe was as tattered as a beggar’s rags, the blood from his wounds gluing the fabric to his body, each breath sending a fresh wave of pain through him.

His face was ashen, and a flicker of regret passed through his eyes.

Had he not been shackled by old sentiments, the students and soldiers who followed him here to quash the plague of corpses might not have suffered such grievous losses.

Of the thirty scholars he had brought from Jigu Academy, only a handful remained. The patrol camp had assigned him three squads, and nearly all had perished.

Those soldiers, frail as ants, had stood before him, trembling with terror, yet still charged forward to protect their teacher, only to be impaled by the greenish-blue spear.

The reeds grew thick, white dew turning to frost. Who could have foreseen that his corpse would be wielded with such mastery?

The Astrologer of the Seven Virtues gave a bitter laugh, thinking that even if the other three were here, they could not blame him; after all, by any measure, that was indeed their teacher.

Just as he braced himself for death, a sudden roar erupted behind him.

A golden dragon howled past, sweeping by his side.

Looking closely, he saw it was no dragon—it was a spear.

The Overlord’s Spear.

Before he could react, a figure clad in gold flashed past him, palm slamming into the butt of the Overlord’s Spear, thrusting it straight at the Reed Master.

“No!” the Astrologer of the Seven Virtues shouted.

Feng Changkong had never advanced to the Void Dao, and even if he activated his Invincible Selflessness and Last Stand at once, it was impossible for him to overcome the Reed Master.

But the Overlord’s way was to press forward without hesitation, and Feng Changkong would not be stopped by a mere shout.

The golden dragon leapt across the Batong River, piercing the Reed Master’s body, pinning him to the far bank.

From above, Feng Changkong looked down at the Reed Master and addressed the Astrologer of the Seven Virtues: “If the Reed Master were alive and learned that you let him slaughter the innocent out of sentiment for the past, do you think he would forgive you?”

The Reed Master’s eyes did not waver in the slightest.

The Astrologer of the Seven Virtues felt as if struck by lightning.

“I know you cannot bear it, but your misplaced compassion is a stain on the Reed Master’s lifelong reputation, a blade cutting into the real Reed Master. After tonight, when the people of Batong River mention the Reed Master, what do you think they’ll say?”

‘He was a man of great love…’

“That has nothing to do with this moment, or with the common folk whose lives barely reach sixty years! All they know is that because of the Reed Master, they lost wives, children, husbands, and parents! Their homes are gone, their livelihoods destroyed!”

The Astrologer of the Seven Virtues fell silent.

At that moment, a profound energy surged from within the Reed Master’s body, causing the Overlord’s Spear to tremble violently, and even Feng Changkong’s hand shook with it.

Frowning, Feng Changkong raised his foot and stomped at the Reed Master’s chest.

The Reed Master caught his foot with one hand, holding it fast.

Feng Changkong tried to wrench free, but it was useless.

Around them, dense reeds sprang up, transforming swiftly into razor-sharp spikes, trapping Feng Changkong at their center.

Even with Invincible Selflessness activated and his star domain perfected, if those spikes struck, death was certain.

Feng Changkong turned his head toward the Astrologer of the Seven Virtues, wondering if the man had died standing.

He resolved to act.

A misty aura rose into the air, thunder rumbled across the sky.

This was his path: entering the Dao through thunder.

The thunder grew ever brighter, his aura heavier.

Then he remembered Yanbei, the endless yellow sands, the four hundred million people, his two sons he had not seen in so long, and his two grandsons he had never met.

His upward momentum faltered.

The misty aura dispersed on the wind.

The thunder ceased abruptly.

The spikes shot downward, but halted half a foot from his chest.

Feng Changkong exhaled in relief; though unafraid of death, he would rather live if he could.

He turned to see the Astrologer of the Seven Virtues, who extended his hand, a blue star array glowing before his palm.

Had he not been in the midst of this crisis, Feng Changkong would surely have noticed an identical star array encircling himself.

“Swift!” the Astrologer of the Seven Virtues commanded in a low voice.

The spikes withered and crumbled to dust.

The Reed Master frowned, but before he could act, invisible chains bound his limbs, and only then did the Astrologer’s voice echo forth.

“Suppress!”

Feng Changkong thought, Why couldn’t you have done this sooner?

He pulled out the Overlord’s Spear, but a sudden flash of white dazzled his eyes.

White light?

In this pitch-black, smoke-choked ruin, what could reflect light?

Confused, he caught sight of something strange behind the Astrologer of the Seven Virtues.

Somehow, the Astrologer was now surrounded by white dew. With his power, he must have noticed it, yet for some reason offered no resistance.

Feng Changkong grew anxious, thinking, You’re one of the Seven Virtues, how can you be so clueless?

Yet the Astrologer’s expression was calm as he slowly closed his fist and intoned, “Seal!”

At his command, the star array shrank until it barely covered the Reed Master. The white light flashed out of existence.

But the Astrologer’s peril was not over.

The white dew had not yet evaporated; it would not dissipate with the caster’s disappearance.

Feng Changkong did not know what this meant, but anything so out of place could only bode ill, and he dared not act rashly.

“What should I do?” he asked.

“No wonder he was our teacher. Even stripped of reason, he still makes the right decisions,” the Astrologer said, ignoring Feng Changkong’s question and sighing instead.

There was even a trace of comfort in his expression.

Feng Changkong cursed under his breath and prepared to intervene.

“Don’t move, or the white dew will explode,” the Astrologer warned softly.

Feng Changkong frowned. “Then what should we do?”

The Astrologer was silent for a moment. “Do you know how the Reed Master died?”

Feng Changkong thought, How would I know about something from ancient times? The Reed Master’s death was centuries ago!

The Astrologer sighed. “When the demons invaded for the second time, the Reed Master used this very spell to seal the Thirty-Third Demon General. Even the Third Demon General could not break the seal to rescue his kin. In a fit of rage, the Third General killed the Reed Master.”

Feng Changkong asked, “So what do we do now?”

The Astrologer replied helplessly, “Even those at the level of Unity had no answer. Do you think I do?”

Feng Changkong eyed the white dew, asking seriously, “Is the explosion powerful?”

“None below Unity could survive it,” the Astrologer replied.

“And if we don’t touch it?”

“Then once it fully evaporates, I’ll be sealed along with it.”

Feng Changkong fell silent.

“There’s truly no way for me to escape alive,” the Astrologer said. “You should go elsewhere.”

“You deserve it!” Feng Changkong retorted bluntly. “You’ve read yourself into stupidity, that’s what they mean by scholars being idiots.”

“Respect for one’s teacher—”

“Don’t talk to me about respecting teachers! What people revere in the Reed Master is not his appearance, but his virtue and wisdom! You showed mercy because of his body, and that’s the greatest betrayal of all!” Feng Changkong went on, “But however much you deserve this, you’re still a powerhouse at the Void Dao. Wuyang City needs you now.”

The Astrologer’s eyes flickered, and with a resigned sigh, he said, “Then I’ll try.”

With that, the power of the star domain manifested again.

Starlight threaded its way through the thick white mist.

The fog slowly thinned.

Feng Changkong thought, So that’s it.

He was using the power of the stars to draw out the mist, opening up a path of escape.

He did not speak, knowing that since the Astrologer had found a way, his own interference would only cause trouble.

Leaping skyward, he raced toward the city gates.

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