At full daylight, Erik Yang came to take his leave. With Heavenly Court spies about, he could not remain away from Guang River Estuary for long.
He and Anna Yang exchanged silent glances; in the end, it was Monkey King whom he spoke to, offering only a few words of advice.
Whether by intention or accident, he made no mention of Jade Cauldron Immortal.
After Erik Yang departed, Tina Ao returned to the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace, while Ao Cunxin obediently went back to the Western Sea Dragon Palace. Blossom Mountain, lively for several days, returned to its usual quiet.
About half a month later, South Heaven Gate officially sent troops into Eastrealm. In the first battle, the vanguard Nathan Young claimed fifteen thousand demon heads at an almost negligible cost. As the news spread, the demon kings of Eastrealm fled overnight, leaving their armies leaderless and in chaos.
The land was filled with fleeing demons; what was called a war between Heaven and the demons became one-sided slaughter.
Blossom Mountain, which had remained hidden, seized the chance to absorb the scattered demons. Its numbers swelled to fifty thousand in a short time, and the underground city became packed beyond capacity.
About a month later, under Monkey King's relentless pressure, Jade Cauldron Immortal completed the first firearm. Upon testing, its killing power was found to fall far short of requirements.
Three months later, Jade Cauldron Immortal produced a second firearm, but its power still failed to meet expectations. Given the urgency, Monkey King decided to freeze the design and begin planning for mass production.
Just as Blossom Mountain was preparing for war in full swing, Belle and Lord Lao continued their journey across the vast expanse of the Southern Lands.
...
On the plain, two cavalry forces charged at each other, and in an instant, red and black figures interwove.
Belle stood atop the hill, staring blankly at the scene before her.
A long halberd pierced the spinning wheel of a chariot, dismembering it in an instant. The soldier aboard was thrown to the ground, and before he could react, enemy horses trampled him underfoot...
The leading cavalry fought desperately, hacking down an enemy but getting his saber stuck in bone, unable to pull it free. In that moment, three spears thrust into his abdomen...
A flag-bearing light cavalryman was knocked from his horse; four or five heavy infantry immediately surrounded him and chopped him into a bloody pulp.
War drums thundered. Everyone shouted, everyone screamed. Their faces twisted as they brandished their weapons and roared.
Blood soaked the earth, flesh mingled with the soil.
A breeze swept by, and only the half-torn brocade banner fluttered in the wind.
Belle was stunned, frozen in place. After a long while, she took a deep breath and turned to leave, only to see Lord Lao standing behind her, watching with a faint smile.
Seemingly frightened, Belle walked on in silence. Not until they had gone three li did she ask, "Sir, isn't the Heavenly Court supposed to rule the Three Realms?"
"Yes, so?"
"Then just now, all that... doesn't the Heavenly Court intervene?"
Lord Lao tutted and laughed, "Why should it intervene?"
Belle hung her head, breathing deeply, but found herself at a loss for words.
After a long while, Lord Lao asked, "Do you know why they slaughter each other?"
"Why?" Belle raised her head to ask.
"The leader of the black-clad army killed the leader of the red-clad army's father. The red-clad army is seeking vengeance."
"Vengeance?" Belle asked in confusion. "But what does avenging accomplish? Hasn't the red-clad army paid countless lives for it? Is revenge really more important than all those living souls?"
"That's hard to say." Lord Lao stroked his long beard and chuckled. "People in this mortal world have their own logic, their own considerations. If they think it's right, they do it; if they're wrong, they bear the consequences themselves. Not just them—every day, similar stories play out across the land. One house covets another's territory and starts a war. One person envies another's family and secretly trips them up..."
"Doesn't the Heavenly Court rule the Three Realms? Shouldn't it step in?"
"How should it intervene?" Lord Lao raised his brows at Belle.
Belle stammered, "It could... it could just arrest both leaders and make them stop fighting."
"Is that so? Then wouldn't you have to arrest every living being in the world? If you don't, wouldn't that be unfair?"
Belle was left speechless for a moment.
After a brief silence, Lord Lao continued, "The Heavenly Dao turns in cycles, with its own cause and effect. If one's heart does not change, one must bear the suffering of reincarnation. Grievances, love, hatred, greed, and folly—who can truly manage or exhaust all the affairs of the mortal world? If they themselves cannot awaken, how much can others really help? Better to die cleanly and start over in the next life. You must understand, the Heavenly Dao is without emotion; if you cling to these things, how will you ever attain the Great Dao?"
After speaking, Lord Lao slowly looked at Belle and tutted with a laugh.
His words left Belle unable to respond.
A mortal's life lasts barely a hundred years; all their joys and sorrows, pain and happiness, are truly insignificant when set against ten thousand years.
This was a truth long stated in the books, yet for some reason Belle just couldn't accept it. Or perhaps, she simply refused to.
Passing by a village abandoned by drought, they saw bones scattered everywhere.
Belle asked, "Sir, what happened here? Rainfall is the Dragon King's responsibility, and it's under the Heavenly Court's jurisdiction. Isn't the Heavenly Court supposed to protect the people? Did the Dragon King forget to send rain?"
"Hahaha, if there were no disasters, how would there be change? Without hardship, how would people appreciate Heaven's grace? If that happened, the masses would cease to revere Heaven and the spirits—wouldn't that be even more chaotic?" Lord Lao chuckled at Belle. "Little girl, don't worry yourself over these things. When spring returns next year, people will come to farm and thrive again."
His words left Belle speechless.
They traveled in silence until dusk. As Belle prepared to light a campfire as usual, Lord Lao reached out to stop her.
"A li ahead, there's a Daoist temple. Let's stay there for the night."
Sure enough, a li ahead stood a Daoist temple.
From afar, the two saw the temple's master waiting at the gate, craning his neck to look west.
Seeing them approach, the temple master hurried over, bowing repeatedly, nearly dropping to his knees.
He said, "Last night, Lord Lao appeared in my dream and told me honored guests would come from the west, and that I must welcome them properly. So I have waited here."
This chapter is not yet finished~.~ Please click 'Next Page' to continue reading the rest!
He looked Lord Lao up and down for a long time but still couldn't figure out which immortal he was. It seemed the folk tales differed quite a bit from the real Lord Lao.
Following the temple master, Belle and Lord Lao settled into the small Daoist temple.
The temple itself was just a few simple houses, with little spiritual energy or incense offerings. Besides the master, there were only three or five disciples, and their food came from their own farming.
As for their cultivation, it was all from unorthodox schools. Only the master had reached the Focused Mind Realm; the others were merely mortals.
It seemed the temple was founded by chance, with no prestigious lineage.
Late at night, Belle could still faintly hear the master muttering before the Three Purities statues in the main hall, mostly about receiving Lord Lao's dream and hoping to be rewarded for his hospitality to western guests.
Belle blinked at Lord Lao and asked, "The master said Lord Lao appeared in his dream and told him to host us. Did Lord Lao really send a dream?"
"How would I know? You'd have to ask the master himself."
"Then, sir, since you're an immortal and the master is so kind to us, could you give him something?"