Chapter 385: The Plot Revealed

When Shao Xiaoli opened her eyes, she saw a broken sundial. She stared at the sundial for a moment, realizing she was in the Starlight Temple. This was her second time in the Starlight Temple.

Shao Xiaoli moved her arm, feeling a tearing pain. This pain allowed her to more clearly perceive her own existence, and using this sensation, she gradually grasped her consciousness, quickly regaining lucidity. The young woman regulated her breath for a moment, then, leaning on the broken sundial, knelt on the ground. She looked at the dried bloodstains on her skirt and the scattered hair on the floor, recalling the battle.

“Sister Siming…”

Shao Xiaoli wasn't sure if her memory was a hallucination. She struggled to her feet and half-walked, half-crawled through the Starlight Temple's long, narrow corridor. The flameless candles in the pools on either side reflected on her milky-white skin. She pressed her hand against the divine symbol on the wall; her palm lines embedded, the symbol sensed her presence, and the door opened. Shao Xiaoli practically tumbled out.

Suppressing the pain, she climbed to her feet, looked up at the sky, then froze, her pupils contracting sharply. It was as if the apocalypse foretold in ancient scriptures had come true. Hordes of demons flew into the sky, initiating a world-ending catastrophe with a tumultuous celebration. Shao Xiaoli stared at the sky, recalling the 'clouds' mentioned in ancient poems. There were no clouds in the sky above Duanjie City; everything she knew about clouds had been recounted by her elder. But today, she saw real clouds.

In the center of the sky, a massive vortex had formed. The vortex displayed a murky hue, as if rusted, and these rust-like formations were dark red clouds. They gathered tightly, like streams flowing from all directions towards the center of the vortex. At its core was a pitch-black abyss, resembling a gaping hole torn through the sky. The sight before her exerted immense pressure, making it difficult to breathe. A chill ran down her spine; she felt as if the sky could collapse at any moment, and she herself could be sucked into the vortex.

Shao Xiaoli's heart hammered. Something came to mind, and regaining her composure, she stood up and ran towards the royal palace. There was a calendar in front of the palace, and she wanted to know how much time had passed. When Shao Xiaoli saw the calendar, her heart sank further into despair. More than twenty days had passed since Baizang's arrival… In other words, she had been unconscious for at least half a month… Only then did Shao Xiaoli suddenly realize that the divine battle seemed to be nearing its end. What was the outcome?

Shao Xiaoli grew increasingly anxious. Clasping her chest, she looked around, found no weapons, and didn't bother searching. Instead, she immediately turned and left the palace, tearing down a flag from the city wall, and ran outside. Ahead, there were no more mountains or towering peaks, just flat plains.

Half a month in the human realm was less than an hour in the terrifyingly fast-paced Void Realm. This was also the time it took Baizang to break through the Void Realm and reach the Headless God's divine kingdom. The flow of time in the Void Realm was absolute. Siming had been brought into the Void Realm by Baizang. Her immense cultivation was sealed within her body, unable to break free from its confinement. Only her rainbow-colored hair, covered by Xihe's creations, was exempt from this 'sealing' effect due to its rank being comparable to the current divine kingdom, and thus it still shone brightly.

Baizang's mythical form was static in the Void Realm, like a divine specimen preserved in liquid. She lifted her head, her snowy hair falling over her slender back. Her rounded ears flattened backward, almost against her hair. Her every movement highlighted the grace and agility of a feline, silver rings constantly shifted on her body, and her full, long tail swayed like seaweed in water. She devoted a thought to imprisoning Siming and extended one hand to press against the upper layer of the Void Realm.

The seal on the upper layer of the Void Realm had been personally constructed by Ye Changong. When the Sinful Monarch broke it, it took a vast amount of time, but this would not hinder Baizang. Her sealed authority transcended all seals in the world. Had she not been backstabbed by Ye Changong earlier, she could have broken it even sooner. Siming was trapped, staring intently at Baizang, wanting to interrupt her actions. But she couldn't even draw her sword, let alone utter a sound. The true form of the Divine Kingdom's Lord, in its mythical manifestation… Other than the Heavenly Dao, no power in the world could resist her.

Baizang tore open the Void Realm. Holding Siming, she coldly surged into the Headless God's divine kingdom. This divine kingdom, dormant for seven hundred years, finally welcomed new guests. Baizang stepped into the infinitely vast divine kingdom. Her mythical form faded slightly on her body. The Sinful Monarch once broke through the Void Realm for a glance, and in that glimpse, he saw the Headless God's corpse. However, the Sinful Monarch used the 'Heaven-piercing Eye' above the character 'Sin', a power Baizang did not possess. To see the divine bones, she had to go to the center of the old divine temple.

“Are you familiar with this place?” Baizang asked casually. Siming looked at the decaying kingdom, her gaze wavering. This was her homeland, but she barely recognized it anymore. There was no land around; countless fragments floated, like a desolate, dead sea filled with fish carcasses. They stepped on the island-like debris, moving forward.

Baizang knew her remaining lifespan was only a few days, so this was not a place to linger. Nevertheless, she paused before a massive red well. Siming looked at the well, her expression sorrowful. This was the Spirit-Birth Mother Well, the place that once nurtured her, and the cradle of all gods in this divine kingdom. She still remembered the sky she saw when she first emerged… Though the Mother Well hadn't disintegrated, it no longer nurtured life. It floated here in lonely solitude, a widower bereft, and she was its last child. Changes had swept through like passing clouds, and nothing, neither people nor things, remained as they were.

Baizang glanced at Siming and unsealed her voice. Siming found she could speak, but didn't know what to say. Baizang said indifferently, “Among the gods, your potential was supreme, but unfortunately, it is no longer flawless. Once I reclaim this kingdom, you will lose your right to return home.” Siming looked at her true face, her eyes stinging. She calmly said, “This is no longer my kingdom.” Baizang was silent for a moment. Her appearance was youthful and pure, yet her words held an unspeakable authority and depth. “You are as foolish as he is.”

Siming pressed her lips together, constantly worried about Ning Changjiu's safety. Though it's said that evildoers live for a thousand years, and he had comforted her with 'don't be afraid,' Ning Changjiu's words were always unreliable… Too many partings by life and death hadn't numbed her; instead, they made her fear separation even more. At this moment, her long hair was a deep black.

Baizang didn't spare another glance at the Spirit-Birth Mother Well; she looked upwards. This world was filled with layer upon layer of barriers. Outside the largest central barrier, the world was torn into irreparable fragments. Inside the barrier, everything appeared largely intact. This divine kingdom had only preserved its central portion. Her suspicion was further confirmed: though the Headless God was dead, its power had not been truly taken. Most of it remained here, suppressing the divine kingdom and preventing this ruined land from completely disintegrating. However, if she seized all of the Headless God's power, this divine kingdom would completely collapse. This was against the Heavenly Dao…

Baizang glanced at Siming, a flicker of anger rising in her heart. If Siming had still been flawless, she could have propped her up as a puppet to suppress this divine kingdom for a few years. Then, if the kingdom collapsed, it would collapse—as long as it wasn't during her own tenure… The Heavenly Dao was strict and foolish; it couldn't discern the truth. All repercussions would fall upon the unlucky divine lord of that year. Regrettably, she could no longer shift the blame.

Baizang had initially intended to kill Siming directly. She arrived before the next barrier, stared at it, and after a moment of silence, took Siming's hand and pressed it against the barrier. Siming passed through without obstruction. This divine kingdom still recognized her. Baizang followed behind her, breaking through the barrier effortlessly. She was using Siming as a key to quickly enter the heart of the divine kingdom. Siming was being used by her enemy, unable to resist, filled with extreme grief and indignation.

She passed through barrier after barrier, her spirit trembling, but when she reached a certain one, the trembling turned into terror. “What is that?!” she blurted out. Baizang knew what she was looking at. “I didn't expect the Immortal Court ruins to still be preserved here,” Baizang said, withdrawing her gaze. “Immortal Court…” Siming murmured softly, her voice steeped in frost. She couldn't believe that what she saw before her was the Immortal Court. The image of the Immortal Court flashed before her eyes, and then Baizang led her to the next barrier.

But the image was one she would never forget: a world where the ground was made of dark clouds, yet it was no celestial paradise, but a field of 'stalks'—stalks of white bones. The oppressive black clouds were covered with glistening white skeletons, which seemed to be either planted upside down in the clouds or hanging from the sky. Stripped of flesh and shattered, they resembled straw after a harvest.

“Ascendants have another name here among us,” Baizang began. Siming looked at her, waiting for her to continue. Baizang slowly said, “Paper figures. The strongest ascendants in the human realm are merely paper figures in our eyes. For the past five thousand years, apart from the initial batch of ancient immortals who caused trouble, all subsequent ones have been nothing but paper figures.”

Paper figures… Siming contemplated the term. When she was a divine official, she had vaguely sensed that ascension was a deception, but she never imagined it was so blatant. Baizang was in a good mood today, unusually talkative. “Don't think that just because you are a divine official, you understand everything and all the laws. In the eyes of a divine lord, you are no different from ignorant mortals.”

Siming took a deep breath, feeling that her end was near. She wanted to die with no regrets. She asked, “What is it that I don't know?” Baizang replied, “You don't know the true rules.” “The true rules?” “Yes, the rules themselves are simple, but you don't know them.” “What do you mean?” Siming vaguely sensed something. Baizang said coldly, “I'm not talking about the profound truth of simplicity or returning to nature. The rules are simple because those who made them are simple-minded, nothing more.” There was a hint of disdain in her words. At this moment, she was extremely proud, looking down on everything.

Those who made the rules… As Siming thought of this, the chill in her eyes was like a roaring glacier. The Heavenly Dao? Or perhaps… an incarnation of the Dark Lord. “Don't believe me?” Baizang looked into Siming's eyes and said, “Let me give you an example.” “What?” “Do you know why the Godless Month exists?” “Why?”

Baizang mentioned the Godless Month because it was one of her sources of confidence. She didn't immediately answer Siming's question; instead, she looked upwards. Above, an ancient tower floated silently. The ancient tower was incredibly magnificent; even a single brick was the length of a grown man. On either side of the ancient tower were two side halls, one square and one round. The ground of these side halls was largely intact, but it was covered in cracks, leaving only a heavy aura of death. Siming stared intently at the largely circular hall. That was her hall… Her homeland was so close, yet she couldn't return. At this moment, she suddenly wished it could serve as her tomb, but even in a tomb, one was still alone…

“Finally, we're here,” Baizang looked at the divine temple and let out a long sigh. Her gradually fading mythical form became complete once more. Without any slack, she remained wary of all potential dangers and swept towards the divine temple. The secret buried for seven hundred years was finally about to be unveiled by her own hands. She turned her head and gave Siming one last look. Siming was still struggling desperately, her long hair pitch-black, her icy eyes bloodshot. The black sword beside her trembled, inching closer to her.

Baizang extended a finger and gently tapped. Siming's piercing scream echoed. Her red lips became even more vivid, and more and more blood seeped from her divine robe. The black sword whimpered, then ceased to respond. Siming trembled all over, her gaze fixed on Baizang, as if to engrave her face into her memory, never to forget it for all eternity. Baizang ignored her gaze. She turned and floated towards the divine temple.

“I will take you to meet your former divine lord. Divine officials must not betray the divine kingdom, so I will kill you there.”

Using the headless divine kingdom's timescale as a reference, the events in the ancient Nether Kingdom had occurred ten days prior. The Fish King sat before the throne, wearily licking its paws. Jiuyou knelt before the hall, her chest covered in cracks, continuously seeping blood. Her slender body was emaciated, her bony spine visible. She stared blankly at the ground, silent, her blood-stained fingertips scribbling something on the floor. She seemed to be writing poetry… The incident was still vivid in her mind, and Jiuyou was still unsure if her choice had been the right one.

Ten days ago… Jiuyou wrote the character 'escape' on Ning Xiaoling's back, then led Yulei and Shentu towards the Nether Throne. She didn't dare to look up at the feathered serpent's skeleton coiled around the divine pillar.

“Wait!” Ning Xiaoling suddenly called out to her. Jiuyou paused, startled. It was at this moment that the feathered serpent's skeleton on the divine pillar stirred. The feathered serpent had lost its heart and was no longer the wandering poet it once was. It had become irritable and impatient, diving down, opening its gaping bone mouth, and biting at Jiuyou.

Jiuyou froze. Though she knew this was part of the plan, she couldn't help but feel fear. She took a step back and yelled at Ning Xiaoling, “Run!” Ning Xiaoling didn't know what to do. She instinctively looked at the Fish King, who opened its eyes. Ning Xiaoling immediately understood what 'acting by its gaze' meant. The Fish King's eyes were no longer lifeless like a dead fish. Its eyes were like a lion's. It moved first, leaping past Jiuyou and batting her aside with a paw. The bone serpent bit nothing but air.

“What are you doing?!” Jiuyou exclaimed, surprised, as she lay on the ground. No sooner had her cry erupted than a white cat flashed past her shoulder, slamming into the bone serpent like a cannonball. By the time Jiuyou regained her senses, the two swords in her hands had vanished. Ning Xiaoling's long tail had coiled around the swords, and she too lunged at the bone serpent.

“Stop it, both of you!” Jiuyou shrieked. “It doesn't want to eat me… If you kill it, the Nether Monarch's divine kingdom will lose its god, and you will die too!” Ning Xiaoling didn't know the reason for any of this, but she instinctively sensed danger and trusted the Fish King's judgment. This feathered serpent had long lost its true power; otherwise, it wouldn't have remained dormant for so long, waiting for an opportunity to ambush. Jiuyou couldn't stop any of this from happening. As she stood bewildered, the bone serpent's deep voice resonated in her ear.

“Come here!” It uttered a simple syllable. Jiuyou was its heart; if she returned to its main body, the feathered serpent's power would be greatly restored, allowing it to kill these two rebels. This was something they had agreed upon long ago. She had sworn an oath. Jiuyou scrambled to her feet and instinctively walked towards the feathered serpent.

An unexpected turn of events occurred again: Jiuyou's skirt was too large and heavy, and she accidentally stepped on its hem, tripping herself and falling to the ground. She couldn't tell if it was accidental or intentional, but the bone serpent's heavy roar had already erupted. The Fish King didn't charge at the bone serpent alone; it brought its 'myriad army' with it. These were countless fish from the Netherworld, each one an old friend of its own. They lived in its memories, immortal and undying. The Fish King roared like a lion, and Ning Xiaoling's fox form also grew much larger—this was not the Ning Xiaoling Jiuyou knew; this fox felt more like an enchantress capable of captivating all beings.

Ning Xiaoling didn't know where this power came from. It felt as if someone had secretly imbued her with this power, but she couldn't remember who… Nor was this a question she needed to figure out right now. The Nine-Tailed Divine Fox tackled the bone serpent onto the divine pillar, pressing its corpse firmly to the ground with sharp claws. Jiuyou hastily scrambled to her feet.

“You fool, what are you waiting for?!” The bone serpent's roar thundered in Jiuyou's ears. “Are you going to just stand there and watch others take your divinity and divine throne? Don't be foolish; their small kindness is not worth your life. You are merely exchanging benefits with them!” The deafening voice made Jiuyou tremble. “Don't hesitate! Come here quickly!” Jiuyou swayed as she stood up. The bone serpent's voice softened slightly. “Come, kill these two betrayers…”

Jiuyou, however, didn't move. As if realizing something, she lifted her head and declared loudly, “It's you who made me this foolish!” “What are you talking about?!” the bone serpent roared furiously, struggling against the attacks of the Fish King and the Nine-Tailed Divine Fox. The entire royal hall trembled. But Jiuyou found an inexplicable courage. “To survive, you transformed the Nether Seed into me, separating me from you, yet you hardly passed down any knowledge to me! I can barely understand a few of these ancient books in this entire hall… You made me lonely for a thousand years, foolish for a thousand years, just to cripple my mind so I'd only know to cling to you at critical moments, didn't you?!”

“Who told you these things?” the bone serpent cried. Jiuyou took a breath, much calmer. She didn't answer, but continued, “There's an old saying in the ancient kingdom: 'The nether can be made to follow, but not to know.' I am the unknowing nether, and you are the monarch who deceived me!” The feathered serpent was now very weak. Without its full authority, it was difficult to resist the attacks of the cat and the fox. The Fish King's swarm of fish fearlessly slammed into the serpent's bones. The bones vibrated and the serpent was thrown backward. Ning Xiaoling, coiling the ancient sword, lunged forward and, with the weight of her body, chopped straight down.

The bone serpent roared wildly, “That's because you were inherently foolish! Don't continue this foolishness!” “Nonsense!” Jiuyou straightened her posture. “I'm clearly very clever!” “…” Unable to persuade her, the bone serpent resorted to, “I am you, and you are me. Are you going to kill yourself?” Jiuyou lowered her head, seemingly struggling. She slowly raised her head, her gaze resolute.

“Who can live forever, for in the mortal world, none are immortal,” Jiuyou recited. “This is a poem you wrote; that white cat read it to me.” “What are you trying to say?” “I want to say…” Jiuyou pondered her words for a moment, then said, “I want to say that the physical body will always decay, even for gods. Moreover… Pluto has long been erased from the world. What truly endures is the spirit, like that poem just now. And I am your spirit; I don't need to depend on you to exist. Compared to you, I prefer Ning Xiaoling.”

“You don't understand poetry at all!” the bone serpent roared, forced to retreat constantly by Ning Xiaoling and the Fish King. It had to leave the divine pillar and slither into the dark depths. Most crucially, this fox had learned swordsmanship from who knows where, and was able to precisely grasp and counter its every move. This was Ning Xiaoling's most familiar sword art, the Sword of Calamity's Restraint, co-authored by Mulongtong and the sect leader of the Yujian Heavenly Sect.

“Don't understand poetry, huh…” Jiuyou slowly rose. She began to walk in the great hall. One step, two steps, three steps, four steps… She took a total of seven steps. If she could compose a poem at this moment, the Nether Ancient Kingdom would have the tale of Princess Jiuyou composing a poem in seven steps. Jiuyou stopped, her gaze firm, and her lips parted slightly. A moment later, she shook her head and said, “I really can't write it, but from today on, I will practice hard!” Not to mention the feathered serpent, even Ning Xiaoling and the Fish King felt a tightness in their chests upon hearing this. This foolish girl was truly infuriating… The feathered serpent also understood: a girl who had made up her mind was like spilled water; if it continued talking to Jiuyou, it might not be killed by the fox and cat, but it would surely die of anger!

Though the feathered serpent was weak at this moment, it had once been a formidable deity commanding the heavens and earth, and it had also left itself a retreat. After taking seven steps, Jiuyou knelt on the ground, blood streaming from her seven orifices. She had once sworn a blood oath of loyalty; by violating that promise now, she naturally suffered the oath's backlash. But this oath could not kill her. Because killing her would be tantamount to killing itself, the feathered serpent had not dared to be too resolute when planting the venomous oath, thus not using a true blood oath.

As Jiuyou endured the pain, a door suddenly opened behind the Nether Divine Hall. She became alert and immediately looked up. “Don't go there!” She shrieked at Ning Xiaoling. But it was already too late. Jiuyou knew that beyond that grand door was not the Yellow Springs Underworld, but the Sea of Ruins! The Sea of Ruins, where spirit devourers floated! Huo, the former sect leader of the Ancient Spirit Sect, had once acquired a spirit devourer and kept it in the sect, a feat that many cultivators found astonishing. That spirit devourer had escaped from the Underworld. What the Underworld truly connected to was not hell at all, but the Sea of Ruins. The Sea of Ruins was a true void; apart from long-dead divine remains and blind-scaled fish that fed on divinity, almost no living creature could survive in that emptiness.

The Nether Monarch made a decisive choice, resolving to abandon everything and merely eke out an existence in the Sea of Ruins. The Fish King sensed something was wrong and tried to call Ning Xiaoling back. But Ning Xiaoling was trapped by bones that formed a cage. The Fish King, with its swarm of fish, smashed through countless bones, trying to retrieve her. The grand door slammed shut before its eyes. In that sudden moment, the Nether Monarch and Ning Xiaoling vanished into the Sea of Ruins. Jiuyou's skirt fanned out on the ground. She stared blankly, her bloodshot eyes wide.

“The Nether Hall's great door closed.”

“The Sea of Ruins did not tear Ning Xiaoling apart. Ning Xiaoling was surprised to discover she possessed the power of the blind-scaled fish, but where did this ability come from? Humans don't gain the ability to fly by eating birds, nor do they learn to dive by eating fish, so this made no sense.”

“Unbeknownst to Ning Xiaoling herself, during her years in the temple, the Myriad Demon Art had been planted within her.”

“That was the true Myriad Demon Art that the Golden-winged Roc had sought for a long time.”

“In the temple, she consumed many rare ancient creatures, and their abilities were integrated into her body by the Myriad Demon Art, becoming her weapons.”

“The Nether Kingdom, shrouded by the dark sea, will welcome its new monarch in fifteen days.”

A celestial melody gently echoed. This note had been written long ago, and she had intentionally forgotten it, fearing she might remember. She tucked the note back into the book and placed the book on the right side of the divine throne. Six large characters were clearly written on the book:

The Secret Scripture of Mountains, Seas, and Flowing Eons.

Divine Kingdom Above – Chapters List