Nightfall

There was nothing in the world that could be kept as an absolute secret. Instead, oftentimes, the news spread even faster because it was a secret. Just as how Ning Que had imagined, Chang’an had already received relevant information regarding the Light Sacrifice, even before he had found out that Chen Pipi was about to be burned to death.

The Light Sacrifice had not been held for too many years, and so while the back of the Academy’s mountain had many books, not much information could be found about it. The people did not understand why the West-Hill Divine Palace would want to use Chen Pipi as an oblation. However, they knew that there were dangerous undercurrents running beneath this matter. Haotian Taoism was using Chen Pipi’s life to force the people in the Academy out of Chang’an, and their main target was naturally Ning Que.

The precious and rare materials in various counties of the Tang Empire continued to be sent into the Imperial Palace. The heavy black horse carriage was parked within the palace, and various sources proved that Ning Que was still in the palace and was working with Eldest Brother on fixing the God-stunning Array. Would he really watch Chen Pipi die?

The people at the back of the mountain naturally knew where Ning Que had gone. However, the distance between both parties was too great. Though they did not know what kind of choice Ning Que would make, they could not continue waiting. And just before Ning Que’s letter arrived in Chang’an, someone in the back of the mountain had made a decision without even thinking.

Eldest Brother looked at the young and adorable girl at the front of the hall. He looked at the old leather boots on her feet and the blood-colored huge blade that looked more like a metal rod in her hands. He thought for a moment and said, “Your teacher is not in Chang’an. I cannot stop you, but you must know what this decision means.”

Yu Lian had left the Academy and not many knew where she went, but Tang Xiaotang did. She knew that she could not wait for her teacher or her brother to come, and so, she said respectfully and determinedly, “Uncle, I understand what you mean. But I cannot have a peace of mind if I do not go and see.”

There were many gravel bits in her boots, and her clothes were coated with dirt. She had been widening the stone steps on the precipice of the back of the mountain in the past six months. No matter whether her teacher was around or not, she would sweat as she squatted on the steep stone steps and use the iron rod in her hand to fight against the tough stones.

To think that back then, in the Wilderness on the snow cliff, her abilities were close to Ye Hongyu’s. Now, Ye Hongyu was a Grand Cultivator at the peak of the Knowing Destiny State while her abilities remained at the past standards. This was not because she did not have talent, but because the difference in cultivation between the Devil’s Doctrine and Haotian Taoism was large in the first place.

Yu Lian made her jump in the waterfall endlessly and made her endure hardships. This was the assignment a teacher had for her student, and this was also the polishing the Grandmaster of the Devil’s Doctrine was doing for the younger generation. The years and months of learning and polishing had strengthened the girl’s spirits to one that was unimaginable. However, her cultivation state had not changed because she needed an opportunity to use all that she had learned.

Tang Xiaotang felt as if this was an opportunity for her to raise her cultivation state. She wanted to go to the Peach Mountain and to see Chen Pipi. To do these, she had to face several rounds of dangerous battles. To a cultivator in the Devil’s Doctrine, battle was the only means to raise one’s abilities. Only a truly horrifying battle could sculpt a truly powerful powerhouse.

She wanted to be the strongest girl in the world, so she had never been afraid of battle. However, when she bade the Academy farewell, she had never thought that even if she became as powerful as Ye Hongyu, she would not be able to barge into the Peach Mountain to save Chen Pipi. And even if she was able to find the true meaning of being a powerhouse through battles, what was waiting for her might not be the shocked glances of those in the cultivation world, but only a cold hard death.

That was all fine. Just as what she had said earlier, what she was looking for, was peace of mind. She was pursuing battle. If she dared not fight, how would she gain peace of mind?

Eldest Brother looked at her. It was as if he were looking at his Third Sister many years back when she had followed their teacher to the Academy. Then, she used to love wearing green dresses and possessed eyes that were mature and so cold they were terrifying…

“If anything happens, listen to your Youngest Uncle.” He instructed.

“I will listen to him if he makes sense, “Tang Xiaotang said.

She put away the iron rod and flicked off the dust on herself, stomping to get rid of the gravel on her boots. Then, she left Chang’an, heading towards the distant West-Hill Divine Kingdom and the stupid fat boy.

A gust of wind started above the sea, and the waves rose. The cerulean blue sea waters rolled, seeming to be extremely restless. As such, several agitated clouds appeared above the sky above the sea.

An entirely black wooden boat burst out from the waves in the sea. Not a single fisherman at the shore or the coolies at the pier could see where the boat appeared from. They could not help but feel as if the boat had suddenly jumped onto the surface of the sea from the Underworld.

The black boat approached the shore slowly, the women selling water and food continued shouting. The odd feeling they had was not as important as their survival. However, the boat did not reply to them. Moments later, a dozen people left the black boat. They carried water and food in their hands and started giving them out to the poor people on the shore.

Some of them were male, some were female, some were old and some were young. Their skin color was extremely dark and they wore the common wide-brimmed bamboo hat. They were no different from the fishermen at the South Sea. However, what was most startling was that they all wore red colored divine robes!

The people on the shore were not mistaken. The style of the divine robes might have been old and the material faded, but the badge they wore was real and one that no one dared to replicate. Compared to the ordinary West-Hill Divine Palace divine robes, the only difference was that some of these people wore a black silk belt at their waists.

The difference in status priests and deacons in the West-Hill Divine Palace was observed strictly. The priests in red were very important figures, and held noble status, especially in the secular world. Usually, there would be a priest in red governing a tiny country. The town, ruled by the Great River Kingdom had three priests in red. The dozens of men and women who looked like fishermen and had descended from the boat were all wearing red robes. Were they all priests in red? Why would so many bigwigs appear at the remote south sea? The people in the town all found it hard to believe. What made it even more incredulous was that these priests in red were giving out food to the poor even though they were of such noble status!

When have the priests in the Divine Hall ever done such a thing?

The news of dozens of priests in red appearing in the little town near the South Sea quickly spread throughout the Great River Kingdom. When the King and the representative of the Black Ink Garden arrived by the sea after traveling through the night, the priests in red had long left, and no one knew where they had gone to.

The priests in red who were like fishermen started to walk towards the north silently after reaching the shore. They specifically chose remote paths, and sometimes, chose to walk straight through the mountains and forests as if they were afraid of bothering the ordinary folk.

They stayed by the stream, and ate their meals with the salted anchovies they brought with them. They would pay if they asked for rice and would not accept the money offered by the most pious believers of Haotian they met.

Even though they wore divine robes, they were unlike the proud priests in the West-Hill Divine Palace. Instead, they were more like the Ascetic Monks of the Yuelun Kingdom who walked silently and proudly.

One day, they arrived at the Shaoming Lake near the Black Ink Garden for a short rest. A girl looked up towards the beautiful Mogan Mountain and said, “Is this the legendary Black Ink Garden?”

It could be because these people dressed in red divine robes fished all year round, and were exposed to the elements; they were all very tanned and rough. The girl was very young, and her skin color was lighter and smoother. Her brows were thick and straight and she exuded a sense of healthiness and strength.

A thin and tall middle-aged man answered, “Indeed.”

The young girl looked at the attics that were somewhat hidden between Mogan Mountain and said, “I heard my uncle mention once, when I was a child, that there were many Talisman Masters here. A few days ago, I heard that his female disciple had become a Divine Talisman Master. It seems that it is a rather good sect. Should we destroy the Black Ink Garden while we are at it?”

Talisman Masters were the most powerful existences in the cultivation world. They held high positions even in the West-Hill Divine Palace. It was difficult to beat a Divine Talisman Master in battle. Furthermore, the Master of Calligraphy and Mo Shanshan were both in the Black Ink Garden. The girl looked to be about 17 or 18, but she dared say she wanted to destroy the Black Ink Garden!

Even if she had started cultivating in the womb and was able to reach the Initial Awareness and Perception State before she was born, she should not be able to say something like that. What was even more unexpected was her natural expression when she mentioned destroying the Garden. It was as if she were talking about which tent she should stay in tonight!

If other cultivators had heard the girl saying that, they might have been stunned speechless. But it was more likely that they would laugh at her. However, the people by the lake did not look at her oddly. It was as if they felt that it would be an easy task destroying the Black Ink Garden. Some of them even looked at the girl fondly as if they would rush to the Black Ink Garden immediately if that was what she desired.

The thin and tall middle-aged man looked at the girl and shook his head. He said, “Xiao Yu, don’t make a fuss. We have a more urgent task at hand. Let’s talk about it when we return to the Peach Mountain.”

The teenager’s tanned face turned into one of joy and pride when she heard the words ‘Peach Mountain’. Even the most solemn old man smiled.

The Light Sacrifice was the most solemn ceremony of the West-Hill Divine Palace, and was the greatest celebration in Haotian’s world. The last Light Sacrifice was already a distant memory, and thus, this Light Sacrifice had gained the attention of all believers and many noble guests of the mortal world.

The oblations from each country were sent to the West-Hill Divine Kingdom. While those rare objects could not become the main oblation for the Light Sacrifice, they were sufficient to satisfy the Divine Hall.

Some of the most pious Haotian believers came to the West-Hill Divine Kingdom when they heard of the news of the Light Sacrifice. They came in spring and had never left. Other than these people, the House of Red Sleeves from Chang’an and some other dance troupes were the earliest participants of the Light Sacrifice. The Divine Hall arranged for them to stay in a garden, and other than practicing their dance moves, they were instructed in etiquette. Most importantly, their performances had to pass several rounds of inspections.

A letter from Chang’an was sent to the garden and into the Sweet Potato Shop in the town before Ning Que brought it back to the Book Hall of the Revelation Institute. After reading the letter written by Eldest Brother, Ning Que did not do anything else. He did not visit Chen Pipi at the precipice again. It was as if everyone in the world was quietly waiting for the Light Sacrifice.