Chapter Fourteen: The Trap!

“It’s just that this time, the Hermit of Plum Mountain has truly had a stroke of great fortune...”

“For the Hermit of Plum Mountain to have killed an envoy of the Heaven’s Mandate, he must indeed be capable. Now, Commander Wei will have another talent in his service!”

This flattery was artful, making Magistrate Chen burst into hearty laughter once again. He thought to himself that his maneuver had been nothing short of masterful—a stroke of genius.

First, he subtly implied that the Hermit of Plum Mountain had slain an envoy of Heaven’s Mandate. Then, he made it clear he was willing to let the matter pass without pursuit, even going so far as to recruit Wang Zhenling into the magistrate’s office.

When word of this reached the Wang clan of Danling, they would naturally feel grateful and, from then on, cooperate fully with the magistrate’s commands.

Those who govern must never offend the great families.

No matter who they are, when officials arrive in a new region—whether to burnish their reputations or to accomplish real deeds—the first thing they must secure is the support of the local powers.

Even the sons of the illustrious Chen family of Hezhong, scions of ancient houses, must do the same.

The Wang clan of Danling was a prominent family in the region. With their full cooperation, Magistrate Chen’s tenure would be much smoother, and even should he seek to distinguish himself, his ambitions would be much more achievable.

As for Wang Zhenling, he was little more than an adornment, a mere “thousand-gold horse bone” to attract better horses.

To call Wang Zhenling a talent—what talent is not already found among the great families? Why would they truly value him?

Soon, a mounted retainer led his men up Plum Mountain under cover of darkness, bearing the magistrate’s written proclamation of conscription for Wang Zhenling.

But Wang Zhenling was nowhere to be found!

With no recourse, the conscription order was delivered directly to Jiaode Lane, to the Wang family’s ancestral home...

Within the grotto, mist still drifted, and the very air near the Spirit Pool was dense with palpable spiritual energy. A single breath filled every corner of the body with boundless vitality, even to the point of intoxication.

Indeed, too much smoke makes one drunk with smoke; too much oxygen, drunk with air. Now, overwhelmed with spiritual energy, one could become “drunk on spirit.”

Looking toward the Spirit Pool, the Celestial Lotus was slowly closing.

One could see that what remained of the spiritual water was but a tenth of its former depth—a thin, nearly vanished layer.

Wang Zhenling patted the jade flask he carried, heart still pounding with lingering fear. Thank goodness, he thought, thank goodness.

If not for this jade flask of spiritual water, escape would have been impossible.

Without hesitation, he poured the contents of the flask into the Spirit Pool.

At once, the nearly empty pool began to rise. The tiny flask seemed to contain an endless reservoir, filling the pool anew, yet the jade flask itself appeared scarcely depleted.

However, in the very next instant, Wang Zhenling sensed something amiss.

Among the spiritual water pouring from the flask, blackness appeared, as if tainted by corruption.

That darkness writhed, transforming in an instant into countless venomous insects, swarming through the pool and making straight for the Celestial Lotus, intent on devouring it whole!

“Not good—there’s a trap within!”

Even the slowest wit could not miss the danger now.

He had never suspected that the Grand Celestial, whose letter spoke of deep ties to the Celestial Monastery and bore every sign of gratitude, would set such a snare within the flask.

If these venomous insects, born of black miasma, succeeded in destroying the Celestial Lotus, all would truly be lost.

Now, a sense of helplessness washed over Wang Zhenling.

At that moment, a faint voice drifted by: “Quickly, visualize the Moonwheel Heaven!”

It was a woman’s voice—urgent, yet melodious.

Wang Zhenling had no time to wonder at its source; he immediately began to visualize the Diagram of Ninefold Celestial Yang’s Immortal Creation.

Even during his recent days at home, he had not neglected his cultivation of this profound diagram.

Moreover, having trained since childhood, he possessed deep roots. Panic and crisis notwithstanding, a single deep breath steadied his mind, and the image of the Moonwheel Heaven took shape at once.

The Jade Rabbit ascended in the east; the Celestial Palace manifested.

His soul sat enthroned within the palace, like the lord of the Moon, cold and radiant, its pure light shining over all creation.

In the next moment, an uncanny resonance arose between his visualization and the grotto itself.

The Moonwheel Palace expanded, enveloping the entire grotto, as if the two were melting together, fused into one.

Now, Wang Zhenling found himself the master of the entire domain.

He could sense the countless venomous insects, spawned by darkness, filling every corner of his celestial palace, gnawing ceaselessly at its foundations—intent on devouring it, leaving it riddled with wounds, and ultimately, bringing it to decay and ruin.

“What the devil are these things...?” Wang Zhenling shuddered inwardly. They seemed eerily reminiscent of the black serpents he had glimpsed before in moments of spiritual trance—especially that soul-deep sense of revulsion and terror.

He murmured the question almost unconsciously, not expecting any answer, when the same melodious voice replied, “This is the miasma of Heaven and Earth’s decline. Beware—should it corrode the palace, you will suffer the five witherings of body and soul, your spirit decaying!

Now you must—”

Before she could finish, a sudden cracking sound rang out.

In that instant, the Moonwheel Palace he had visualized at his spiritual core had merged completely with the grotto.

Suddenly, the waters of the Spirit Pool surged and roared, churning furiously as bolts of thunder crashed down in succession.

Each thunderbolt struck a swarm of venomous insects, turning them back into black vapor that quickly dissipated.

In the blink of an eye, the palace was cleansed of every trace of the infestation.

The voice had just begun to instruct him to stabilize the palace, sweep the steps with the moonwheel, let dust leave no mark.

So long as the heart remains unmoved, one can harness the full strength of the domain to resist such evil!

Yet Wang Zhenling, instead, unleashed the pool’s thunderous waters, obliterating the plague in a single stroke.

But the ordeal was not yet over.

Just as Wang Zhenling relaxed, thinking the black miasma vanquished, a jet of black smoke burst forth from the jade flask, coalescing into a human form.

The apparition appeared, carrying with it such overwhelming menace that the very grotto seemed suffocated, the air thick and hard to breathe.

“Hahahahaha! I knew it would be you... Brother Qinglianzi...

Hahaha, if you don’t show yourself soon, the Celestial Lotus will not survive...!”

The shadow erupted in maniacal laughter, the very image of a demon lord, arrogant beyond restraint.

From its body, endless black vapor poured forth, transforming into a horde of insects, snakes, rats, and ants, all swarming toward the Celestial Lotus, gnawing ravenously at its roots and stems.