Chapter 143: A Shortcut and a Great Truth—If You Dare to Fall, the World Will Pay the Price

Chapter 143: A Shortcut and a Great Truth—If You Dare to Fall, the World Will Pay the Price

The sky had turned!

When that vast, bone-chilling will swept across the sky, every person in this world instantly felt a terrifying shift.

Their vision changed.

Countless people panicked, rubbing their eyes and blinking hard, but the ghastly green scar across their vision refused to fade.

It was cold and eerie, as if the River Styx itself had appeared.

"Wh... what is that?"

"Is the world ending? Am I dreaming?"

In the sky, this dark, yellow-green "ribbon" like an aurora was madly stretching toward the Divine Mountain.

On the other side of the sky, a burst of black-and-white pure light erupted.

Yu Xiao activated the Tai Chi Dharma Seal, teleporting his cultivators a thousand miles, rushing toward the Eastern Sea.

They passed each other in a flash.

Yu Xiao sent a mental message to the flying boat: "Little Yuqing once tampered with the Heavenly Master Dam. Nangong Xia, the Divine Court's Central Palace Grand Commander, plans to destroy the dam. I'm going to stop him, or the whole southeastern coast will be flooded."

The Foxtail Grass Spirit replied simply: "Alright, understood."

A brief silence.

Yu Xiao sent another mental message: "Ah, one more thing... I'm really sorry. A traitor in the alliance worked with the Divine Court and stole the Divine Shaman's 'corpse.' I just can't spare the time right now, damn it!"

Li Xueke suddenly got it: "No wonder I heard people wailing when we passed over the city. So that's why the Divine Shaman's dead."

Yu Xiao's mental message faded away: "Damn! A world-ending calamity is coming! Damn!"

The Foxtail Grass Spirit stared blankly ahead: "When people hit rock bottom, they always pray to gods and Buddhas. Any god, just as long as one shows up..."

Back when it was at its lowest, that's exactly how it prayed.

Li Xueke looked totally defeated: "Without the Divine Shaman, people can only pray to that god in the Divine Court—good or evil."

The Paper Effigy Boy: "Send the corpse to the Divine Mountain, announce it to the world!"

"Right," Li Xueke nodded. "Once the corpse gets to the Divine Mountain, the proof of the Divine Shaman's death is solid. Then everyone will obey the Divine Court and pray to it."

"Chirp! Chirp!"

Little Golden Crow flapped its wings, hovering over the tea table, "Stop 'em! Stop 'em!"

The guy, the paper effigy, and the bird were all fired up.

Suddenly, they felt like something was off. They turned and saw the Foxtail Grass Spirit sitting there blankly by the window, blinking slowly, with a weird, complicated look.

Li Xueke: "Hey, weirdo, what's up with you?"

The Foxtail Grass Spirit snapped out of it, clenching its fist hard: "Oh, nothing—let's kick their asses!"

The aura leaking from the vortex got more and more ominous.

The void went cold, and Fu Yu's fingernails, gripping her sword, went a little white.

Qiu Qianyue thought Fu Yu was just chatting to calm her down.

But that wasn't it.

Fu Yu was trying to keep Jun Bu Du steady.

She sent him a mental message: He's coming. You can act without worry. I've got Qiu Qianyue. Nothing's gonna go wrong here.

Jun Bu Du stayed quiet.

Fu Yu couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

After all, she'd once gone off to die without telling him, and that old debt had just been brought up again—fresh and raw.

Fu Yu: Ahem, don't worry. Look, she's got no intention of fighting me at all.

Jun Bu Du still didn't say a word.

Fu Yu: Haha, my cultivation's weak now too. Even if I blew up my life soul, I couldn't take her out with me. Am I that dumb? Don't worry—the world's Dao can't be fixed without me. I won't act rashly.

Jun Bu Du finally responded: If you get into trouble.

This mental message was restrained to the extreme.

So restrained that his cold will carried a maddening intensity, as if it had reversed into frenzy.

Fu Yu's whole body went numb, her heart trembling.

There was no follow-up—which was even more terrifying.

Fu Yu took a breath and replied: Heh, with that tone, you sound like those cheap novels I used to read. The protagonist Long Ao Tian always says that line—"If you dare to fall, I'll make the whole world pay the price for you!"

Another suffocating silence.

Fu Yu chuckled: You wouldn't actually...

Jun Bu Du: I would.

Both of their mental messages spoke at once.

Fu Yu's breath caught.

Jun Bu Du's mental message was slow and calm: I think you should clearly realize one thing. I'm not human—I'm a madman.

Fu Yu: Jun Bu Du...

He even let out a faint laugh.

Jun Bu Du: Feel free to test it.

Fu Yu: "..."

As his words fell, the entire void suddenly shook.

The vortex let out a piercing shriek.

Following the tainted spiritual energy of Yun Shan Luan, the Evil Demon God crossed millions of miles of land and thrust its first tentacle into this place!

"BOOM!"

In an instant, the already crumbling, terrifying vortex spilled out a world-shattering aura of destruction.

The vortex was the physical manifestation of the Heavenly Dao's flaw, and as a powerful enemy invaded, its total collapse was imminent.

Fu Yu flipped her palm and struck, sending Nine Crossroads Dust hurtling from her hand.

Qiu Qianyue was deeply wary of that Divine Sword. Seeing it hurtling toward her, her massive Dharma Form instinctively leaned back to dodge—"Clang!"

The "ambush" failed, a streak of black light sweeping past and plunging into the vortex.

Qiu Qianyue's pupils contracted as she locked eyes on Fu Yu.

Fu Yu raised her hands in surrender: "Now I'm really unarmed."

A flicker of hesitation crossed Qiu Qianyue's eyes.

The Heavenly Dao could collapse at any moment. She needed to rip enough power from its fresh corpse and, at the moment of the world's destruction, absorb the vast willpower that would aid her in creating a new world.

She had to stay in perfect form, waiting for the optimal moment to split heaven and earth. If she acted now against an incarnation, it might cause unnecessary trouble.

But if she didn't kill her, letting the Divine Shaman stir up trouble here would be a lingering threat.

She stared at Fu Yu, murderous intent blazing in her eyes.

Fu Yu, as if oblivious, waved a hand: "If I'm not mistaken, when the sky shatters and the earth splits, you'll wreck the Celestial Master Dam. Then, billions of tons of seawater will crash down from the heavens, recreating the apocalyptic scenes from the myths."

The killing light at Qiu Qianyue's fingertips condensed into a single thread as she searched for the perfect moment to strike: "You're not mistaken."

Fu Yu looked up at the sky: "Desperate people will naturally call on Nüwa to patch the heavens and Pangu to create the world. Such immense willpower will help you achieve enlightenment and become a god—a path to godhood so achievable that Yun Shan Luan and Wu Lihen had no reason not to take the bait. Anyone would be tempted."

She seemed weary, with a look of bitter resignation. "And here I am, slaving away all my life telling fortunes, yet I can't even reach the rank of Emperor Witch Fate Master."

Qiu Qianyue chuckled: "What, is the Divine Shaman thinking of joining me? If you sincerely repent, I might consider... going easy on you."

Her tone was so gentle it made your scalp tingle, unconsciously lowering your guard.

A flicker of confusion crossed Fu Yu's eyes: "Honestly, the way you are now is kinda creepy."

Qiu Qianyue lowered her gaze and smiled: "What you mean to say is 'divine,' right?" Her voice grew even softer, with an almost maternal allure. "Child, there's no shame in converting to me. I'll forgive you, go easy on you, and accept you. All you need to do is call me Mother Goddess."

Fu Yu lazily raised a hand: "Hold up, I have a question."

A moment ago, she'd been almost completely defenseless, but now she leaned forward, turning into a hedgehog too prickly to bite for now.

The killing light in Qiu Qianyue's eyes dimmed slightly as she held her fingers back.

Fu Yu praised her openly: "The grand scheme you've set in motion is flawless. No doubt about it, you can achieve enlightenment and become a god."

Qiu Qianyue stared at her without a blink.

Fu Yu smiled and continued: "But in doing so, all life in this world will become bones on your path to godhood. Won't your conscience hurt? Why don't you choose to save the world instead? The Divine Court rules this world, and the people are your followers. If you save them, you'll become the only god of this world. Why not do it?"

Qiu Qianyue was taken aback.

"Divine Shaman, you're really too into your role," she said, the corner of her mouth twitching. "Even now, you're still lecturing me with such hollow, empty platitudes?"

She frowned slightly, a mix of disdain and caution.

Fu Yu suddenly smiled: "You won't do it because, under the laws of this Heavenly Dao, there is no savior."

Qiu Qianyue's pupils shrank sharply.

Fu Yu said with a grin: "Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all beings like straw dogs. Attaining enlightenment means realizing the Heavenly Dao; becoming a god means becoming the law of heaven and earth itself—selfless, desireless, without any distinction. That kind of god, you don't want to be. What you want is to be a ruler above all... but that's not a true god, only a false god."

Qiu Qianyue's Dharma Form trembled slightly, and the smile frozen on her lips grew ugly.

After scheming for eons, her grand plan was about to succeed. How could she stand someone jinxing it now?

Her murderous intent blazed even fiercer. Qiu Qianyue shot back, deliberately trying to disgust her: "So the Divine Shaman and the Sword Master once risked their necks for so-called universal harmony... Hah, was it just to become gods yourselves? I thought you were so noble, talking a better game than you played. In truth, isn't it just selfish desire?"

Fu Yu slapped her thigh with one hand and pointed at Qiu Qianyue with the other: "Ah, that's it! That's exactly it!"

Qiu Qianyue's gaze turned icy as she struck decisively. The thread of killing light at her fingertip tore through space, shooting toward Fu Yu.

Her instincts screamed alarm. Though it wasn't the best moment to strike, a primal urge compelled her to interrupt Fu Yu's words.

That streak of killing light ripped through the void, triggering a chain of light explosions, like a stone skipping across water.

In an instant, the lazily seated Fu Yu was pierced through.

Qiu Qianyue whirled around!

What remained in place was, as expected, only an afterimage.

Fu Yu had shifted to another direction, staggering slightly, looking a bit disheveled like a drunken youth. But her voice remained steady: "Oh—so you do believe that the will of the masses can rival the gods."

Qiu Qianyue struck back.

Another afterimage.

Earlier, when Fu Yu had been counting on her fingers to "tell fortunes," she had secretly set up teleportation arrays all around, giving her plenty to use for now.

Fu Yu: "You're afraid. Qiu Qianyue, you're afraid. Admit it, Qiu Qianyue. You're determined to annihilate all the ants of this world not out of disdain, but out of fear."

Qiu Qianyue sneered coldly: "Those ignorant, useless wretches—no backbone, no knees, just following the herd—do I need to fear them? Ridiculous!"

She laughed coldly, her Dharma Form blazing with radiance.

"Look! No matter how hard you try to expose my true face, so what? They still worship me, follow me. As long as I'm willing to toss them a crumb of hope and promise them wealth and glory in the new world, they'll gladly hand over their souls!"

"Divine Shaman, you're not an ant. People like you are hard-boned idealists."

"But unfortunately, the masses are nothing like you. They fear hardship, fear pain, cling to life, and love ease. They have no will to resist. They'll only bend their spines meekly and walk the path I've laid out for them."

"I wish I could let you see that scene... I want to see you weep in defeat."

"Divine Shaman, I almost don't want to kill you now."

Even as she spoke these words, her attacks grew fiercer.

Waves of divine light radiated outward, and wherever they passed, they swept away everything in their path.