Bao Gu drew in a deep breath, forced herself to steady her mind, and no longer spared a glance for the apocalyptic ruin outside that looked like heaven and earth collapsing. She swept her gaze over the terrified Kan Gang guards around her and said calmly,
“Don’t panic. You’re disciples of my Kan Gang. Even if the sky falls and the earth cracks, I’ll keep you safe.”
She turned her head toward Yu Mi.
“Senior Sister, come with me.”
She took Yu Mi’s hand and led her down to the Shadow Pavilion’s sub-branch beneath the Kan Gang’s local hall.
When they descended into the Shadow Pavilion sub-branch, they found Wang Ding there as well. The Shadow Pavilion members had piled up rolled jade slips—each one recording various bits of information—so high they almost buried Wang Ding where he sat.
Sensing Bao Gu’s arrival, Wang Ding rose and bowed.
“Command Master, these are all reports from various regions after the disturbance in the Desolate Ancient Mountains… There are too many… It’s too tragic… Many of the Shadow Pavilion’s informants out gathering intel… a lot of them… died…”
Bao Gu said to Yu Mi,
“Senior Sister, you can look through them as you please.”
She pulled out one jade slip, sent her divine sense into it, and at the same time asked Wang Ding,
“What else? Pick the important parts and say it.”
Wang Ding took a deep breath and bowed lower.
“Command Master, I took the liberty—shortly after receiving the jade slip on how to handle the Ba disaster—of copying the formation scroll that deals with the Ba. I made many copies and sold them to factions on good terms with the Kan Gang. Those factions then resold them several times over…”
Bao Gu glanced at Wang Ding.
“So you’re saying that areas in the cultivation world protected by defensive formations that were adjusted in time didn’t suffer heavy casualties?”
If so, that was at least something.
Wang Ding said, “The ones who trust the Kan Gang, who altered their defensive formations in advance and have large arrays protecting them—their casualties should not be too serious. I just flipped through a few reports and even saw messages of thanks from some of those factions’ leaders…”
His tone shifted.
“As for the casualties across the various powers in the cultivation world, that’s still being investigated. It’ll probably take several days before we have solid numbers. What’s important now is: what should we do next?”
Bao Gu put the jade slip in her hand back.
“Mobilize every resource the Kan Gang can mobilize. Just like we built the Kan Gang inns, we’ll establish fortified outposts that can resist corpse fiends, wraiths, and skeletal monsters. Recruit craftsmen on a large scale and manufacture as many tools and artifacts for dealing with the Ba as possible. First we meet the needs of friendly factions. As for hostile ones—let them all die.
“The catastrophe stirred up by the Desolate Ancient Mountains will scare a lot of people witless. There will be a flood of cultivators coming to the Kan Gang seeking shelter. This is our chance to expand our power. Recruit them, fold them into our army, train them rigorously, and teach them the methods recorded in the jade slips for dealing with the Ba.
“What we need most right now is power that can stand against corpse fiends, wraiths, and skeletal monsters. Defensive formations, battle-ready armies, and warships are all indispensable. First, we get our defenses in place. The rest, we’ll plan slowly afterward.”
Wang Ding answered respectfully, “Yes!”
He hesitated, then asked,
“Command Master, do you want to know the situation of the Alliance Army factions?”
Bao Gu already knew from before that the Alliance Army had been scattered, the cities they occupied taken over by rogue cultivators, and they themselves had withdrawn back to their respective sect holdings. The outer vassal forces were basically wiped out. Wang Ding wouldn’t bring this up for no reason.
“Speak,” she said.
Wang Ding replied, “The Alliance Army forces suffered disastrous losses. Their disciples scattered or fled, and there are quite a few who now want to defect to the Kan Gang.”
He looked at Bao Gu.
“Do we take them in, or not?”
Bao Gu gave Wang Ding a long, deep look.
“You don’t know by now that I always repay both kindness and hatred? They beat us down, almost drove us to a dead end, and now they turn around and expect me to forgive and forget? Wang Ding, do you really think I’m that ‘magnanimous’?
“Same as before: let them all die. Not one from the Alliance Army gets in.
“They had the ability to break the Heaven-Sealing Forbidden Domain in the Desolate Ancient Mountains and release the Ba. So they clearly have the ability to survive under the Ba disaster. What would they come to the Kan Gang for?
“Honestly, just a short while ago they were waging war on us, fighting the Kan Gang to the death. Now suddenly they want to join us? What do they think the Kan Gang is?
“Listen well: I don’t even let our own free-roaming drifters into the core ranks.”
Listening to this, Wang Ding broke out in a cold sweat. The Command Master really didn’t mince words.
He glanced at Yu Mi, who was flipping through a jade slip to the side. He’d followed the Command Master for years and thought back to how cold and indifferent she used to be. Now she was practically a second Fiery Dragon. Meanwhile, that real Fiery Dragon had become calmer and calmer, more like the old Command Master. Truly, husband-and-wife temperaments really did rub off on each other.
Bao Gu caught his shifty eyes flicking back and forth between her and her Senior Sister and knew he was grumbling inside. She picked up a jade slip and smacked it onto Wang Ding’s head.
He shuddered, then dropped to his knees in terror.
“Go do your work,” she said.
“Yes!” Wang Ding answered. Covering the aching spot on his forehead, he backed out of the little steward’s room that served as the Shadow Pavilion’s Cangdu City sub-branch office.
He had barely stepped out when his divine sense brushed past his Command Master inside and picked up her faint, furrowed- brow question:
“Senior Sister, have I been really bad-tempered lately?”
In his heart, Wang Ding thought, *Oh, so you do know, Command Master.*
Ever since she came back from Hidden Dragon Abyss, her temper hadn’t had a single good day. She was a walking powder keg. He seriously suspected she and the Fiery Dragon had swapped souls.
Yu Mi put down the jade slip in her hand.
“I think Wang Ding’s been handling Kan Gang affairs quite well. You trust him with them, don’t you? Why not do what you did before—hand all the Kan Gang’s daily business back to him. If he runs into something he really can’t decide, he can come ask you. Wouldn’t that be good?”
Hearing that, Wang Ding almost wanted to rush back in, fall to his knees, and beg for mercy.
*Immortal Yu Mi, Fiery Dragon Ancestor, Lord Arrow Envoy, please spare me. There’s a Ba catastrophe going on—I can’t carry this alone!*
Bao Gu pondered for a moment.
“All right then. Worst case, we’ll just go throw ourselves on Master-Mother’s mercy.”
Wang Ding almost turned and sprinted back in to hug his Command Master’s leg and bawl, *No, please don’t!* But he didn’t dare. If she found out he was eavesdropping on her and her wife’s private talk, his end would be miserable.
He firmed his resolve instead. Even if it killed him, he’d cling to the Command Master’s thigh and follow wherever she went, even unto death. If he managed the Kan Gang well and made real contributions, he’d certainly get his share of benefits. And if the Ba disaster truly turned into a world-ending calamity one day, the only chance of survival would be to follow her.
Besides, thinking back ten-plus years—back then he was just a rogue cultivator with no power, no backing, a nameless staffer attached to someone slightly more famous. Now he held the power of life and death over countless people and the rise and fall of many factions. Some of that was his own effort, but even more came from the Command Master’s support.
The Kan Gang stood tall because of the things in the Command Master’s hands, did it not? Most importantly: the Command Master protected her own. She never shortchanged those who served at her side.
Treated as a statesman, he would repay as a statesman.
Bao Gu had no time to dwell on what Wang Ding was thinking. She slumped into the steward’s chair, lost in thought.
“Senior Sister,” she asked, “if Si Ruo hadn’t gifted the Desolate Ancient Mountains to Xuantian Sect… if Xuantian Sect hadn’t set its sights on the Desolate Ancient Mountains, would this Ba disaster never have happened?”
Yu Mi tilted her head and mulled it over.
“Unless the Heaven-Sealing Forbidden Domain within the Desolate Ancient Mountains could actually suppress the Ba to death, then sooner or later, it would have escaped anyway. From what we can see now, the Desolate Ancient Mountains only *sealed* the Ba. They never truly eliminated it, did they?”
Bao Gu nodded lightly.
“You’re right. Holy Aunt said once that if she could occupy the Desolate Ancient Mountains and borrow the power of the Heaven-Sealing Great Array and the fengshui of the Nine-Dragon Ascension Game, then given enough time, she could suppress the Ba to death. Xuantian Sect could have rebuilt the Ascension Platform, and this world could have reopened a path to the Upper Realm.
“But all of that was ruined by their selfish greed…
“Those factions tried to push another step higher, to sit forever at the peak of power. And now… heh…”
She tossed the jade slip in her hand back into the pile. That slip detailed news of the Golden Crow Holy Dao. Its country had already been annihilated.
Ranked seventh among the cultivation world’s powers, destroyed in just a single month.
The Golden Crow Holy Dynasty schemed after the sacred artifact within the Desolate Ancient Mountains and lost countless people there. Unwilling to accept those losses, they joined the Alliance Army against the Kan Gang and Yue Kingdom, only to be played by Divine Pool Palace and suffer yet another devastating blow. Then the mountains shifted; as Yue Kingdom’s neighbor, the Golden Crow Holy Dynasty suffered almost as badly as Yue. And because they’d made enemies of both Yue and the Kan Gang, they never obtained proper defensive methods, and were hit even harder.
The upheaval in the Desolate Ancient Mountains cracked the earth of the Golden Crow Holy Dynasty everywhere. The entire realm was steeped in baleful blood-qi and death. Even the capital was engulfed, and only a small number escaped to Yue Kingdom through teleportation arrays in time.
Bao Gu didn’t want to gloat over others’ misfortune. But when it came to a dynasty that had come to the Kan Gang’s branch hall to pledge loyalty and seek alliance *before* the news of that sacred artifact leaked, only to turn around and sneak into the mountains to steal the artifact, break the seal, and release the Ba—and then later join the Alliance Army against them—she only had one word for the Golden Crow Holy Dynasty:
“Serves you right.”
She simply didn’t have that big a heart. She could not be struck and then pretend nothing had happened. She could not be without resentment or hatred.
Those who caused the disaster had fallen, but countless innocents now had to suffer this calamity from nowhere.
Bao Gu’s chest tightened with discomfort. She reached a hand toward Yu Mi.
Yu Mi knew Bao Gu’s emotions had been swinging wildly lately. When she saw that reaching hand, she walked over, took it, then pulled Bao Gu into her arms.
“Don’t think about it,” she said softly. “Bao Gu, I’m begging you, stop thinking about it. Things have already come to this. Whether you resent them or hate them is useless now. The road you’ve walked is always behind you. The road you must walk is always in front. In a lifetime, no one can ever really turn back.”
Bao Gu buried her face in Yu Mi’s embrace.
“Even Holy Aunt has given up on this cultivation world,” she said.
“You *know* she’s given up?” Yu Mi replied. “She just did everything she could. Her leaving doesn’t mean she abandoned this realm—it means she’s powerless to do more.”
She crouched down, took Bao Gu’s hands, and looked up into her eyes.
“Are you willing to let this world turn into a dead land? No more human civilization, no place for humans to stand, no place for Xuantian Sect to stand?”
“Xuantian Sect already lost its foothold,” Bao Gu said.
“But it has one again,” Yu Mi answered. “The Grandmaster has already decided to let a hundred thousand Xuantian disciples enter the mortal world to cultivate. The entire world is now Xuantian Sect’s training ground, its trial field. If this realm turns into a wasteland, where will Xuantian Sect stand? Where will it train?”
“My strength is too small,” Bao Gu said quietly. “I can’t save the world. I can’t fight the Ba.”
“You’re the Kan Blade’s Command Master,” Yu Mi said. “When you call, the whole Kan Gang answers. In the eyes of the cultivation world, you’re the one with a way—the one who *can* deal with the Ba.”
She turned and picked up a jade slip, then pressed it into Bao Gu’s hand.
“Look at this. See how many people pledged themselves to the Kan Gang today. Why did they come? Because they believe you’re their hope.
“Bao Gu, it’s because there’s hope that people don’t fall into despair. I’ve had countless times where I was gravely injured, on the brink of death. What kept me going—the only thing that stopped me from dying—was that word: ‘hope.’
“Do you know? When I saw you beaten by Rong Ruyu, your body twisted and embedded into the mountainside, in that instant, the rage and despair I felt… She shattered my nascent soul with a single palm strike. My very spirit was torn apart. For a moment, I was sure I was about to dissipate.
“But in my daze, I saw you move. I saw the little monkey appear at your side. I saw that you weren’t dead. I didn’t dare die. I was afraid that if I died, you’d follow me. I was afraid something would happen to you. I also didn’t want to die.
“So I stayed alive. I clung to that last breath…
“At that time, I didn’t even know if I *could* live. But I refused to let go. In that haze, I forced myself to remember our past, forced myself to imagine what it would be like after we ascended. That’s what kept me from dying, kept my soul from scattering. That’s why I can stand in front of you now.
“As for the future, who can say what it will look like? If you don’t give up, if you fight bit by bit and scrape together every little thing, what you gain will only grow.
“Today, you’re not a match for the Ba. But what about in a hundred years? A thousand? Two thousand?
“This realm will one day no longer be a world without immortals. That alone is hope, isn’t it?
“Didn’t we say we’d open the ascension path and fly to the Upper Realm together?”
Bao Gu lowered her head, focusing on Yu Mi’s face, listening to this rare attempt to comfort and persuade her. Suddenly she laughed.
“Senior Sister,” she said, “I never thought you’d be the one giving pep talks… or that you’d ever look this anxious over something.”
Yu Mi squeezed her hand.
“Come on. You’re the Kan Blade’s Command Master. I’m Xuantian Sect’s Young Sect Master. With something this big happening, we can’t just hide underground flipping through jade slips like we’re watching a show.”
She tugged Bao Gu to her feet, but noticed Bao Gu staring at her, eyes unblinking.
“What is it?” she asked, puzzled.
“It just feels like you’re different from before,” Bao Gu said. “Different from before you were hurt.”
Yu Mi patted Bao Gu’s cheeks.
“My nascent soul was shattered,” she said. “Only half my spirit is the old me. The other half has to slowly grow back. How am I supposed to know what kind of person that half will become?
“Be glad I’m not stupid, not mad, not raving, and not drooling. If you don’t believe me, I’ll take you to the mortal world and show you what people missing a soul and a half end up like.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“Unless… you’re嫌弃 me?”
“How could I?” Bao Gu’s smile softened.
Yu Mi no longer pushed her away like before, no longer snapped at her with that constant “you’re useless” face, no longer acted like she couldn’t be bothered. Instead, she gently comforted her and coaxed her along. That made Bao Gu… very happy.
She no longer felt abandoned, no longer felt alone. And she’d grown… a bit more temperamental.
Her path these past years had been too smooth, almost without any real setbacks, so this sudden change had hit her unprepared—left her confused and afraid, stirred up all these tangled emotions.
But yes, no matter how bitter or difficult it was, the road still had to be walked. Wasn’t it the same when she first stepped into the cultivation world? Every step was hard-won.
She’d lived ten peaceful, prosperous years. Faced with hardship again, she’d lost that unbending toughness she once had and sunk into grievance and discouragement.
Now, the gloom in Bao Gu’s eyes faded, replaced by a clear light. The shadow hanging over her seemed to disperse.
She swept the pile of jade slips—stacked like a small hill in front of her—into an extra-large storage bag, clasped Yu Mi’s hand, and headed out.
After a few steps, she spoke in a low voice.
“Senior Sister… your junior has learned her lesson.”
Yu Mi paused, then asked, “What?”
A beat later, she understood, and a laugh slipped out. With a hint of fondness and smugness she said,
“You. You haven’t even walked as many *roads* as I’ve crossed *bridges*. You’re still green.”
Bao Gu was about to argue, but then thought about how she’d barely left home for years on end, while Yu Mi had been out wandering the world all that time. In truth, she really *had* walked fewer roads than Yu Mi had crossed bridges.
So she could only remain silent.
