Chapter 103: The Shifting Earth

The dimension continued to maintain the spatial transition. She stood like a statue, deliberately forgetting her own existence, striving to buy more time. Yet the trembling at her fingertips already told her that the time she could hold on was running out.

There was no news from His Highness; the dimension persisted.

At this moment, Nuoluo dared not relax for even a moment. She listened intently to the changes beneath her feet. The separated land was slowly moving toward Fengdu City, though the ground showed no obvious tremor. The entire earth was steadily descending, needing only to drop an inch.

With the aid of the spatial transition, such a descent would bring no impact to the mortal realm.

Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion, without any unexpected occurrences. All was under her control. As long as the dimension could hold on a little longer, success was imminent.

Once she transported the required land to Fengdu City, she could reconstruct the Path of Reincarnation. Only a little more time was needed.

The dimension was about to falter; she summoned all her strength to control herself. At this moment, no abnormality could arise, or else it would disrupt the spatial shift.

Her trembling fingertips began to lose control; she was on the brink. Suddenly, the dimension quivered slightly—a movement so subtle it was almost imperceptible.

A jolt of alarm struck the dimension’s heart. “This is bad. Things are about to go awry. The spatial transition has undergone a drastic change.” She could no longer think of herself; with her last remaining strength, she steadied herself, now only hoping that His Highness could contain the calamity. There was nothing more she could do.

The faint disturbance triggered immeasurable destruction to the spatial shift.

Change happened in an instant.

Nuoluo carefully moved the last piece of separated land to Fengdu City. Suddenly, the once calm earth roared violently, trembling fiercely beneath her feet.

Nuoluo’s gaze shifted, and sure enough, she saw the dimension, pale-faced.

The spatial transition had lost its original power. Once broken, it would no longer protect the mortal realm. Nuoluo sighed inwardly; only one final step remained.

Now was not the time to blame the dimension. Fortunately, only one piece of land had yet to be transported to Fengdu City. Even if casualties occurred, the damage would not be too severe. But the thought of those innocent lives caused a sharp pang in Nuoluo’s heart; something uncontrollable seemed to stir deep within her.

Suddenly, Nuoluo felt her body stiffen; she could barely control herself. What was happening?

She could not allow this. Every moment wasted could cost more innocent lives. Struggling, she raised her hand and slapped herself hard.

As if awakened, she regained her composure. Yet this act stunned both the dimension and the Four Seasons. What had His Highness done?

The dimension, realizing her failure at the crucial moment, dropped to her knees with a heavy thud, facing Nuoluo. Her mistake was unforgivable.

“Your Highness!” the Four Seasons rushed to Nuoluo’s side.

“Dimension, get up immediately!” Nuoluo’s voice was edged with urgency. She bore no blame for the dimension; her earlier lapse was merely to shake off the sudden physical abnormality.

The dimension hurriedly stood, tears shimmering in her eyes, but she fought to hold them back.

“Dimension, Four Seasons, stabilize the earth now. Minimize unnecessary casualties. I must reach Fengdu City at once.”

Nuoluo’s figure vanished. She needed to reach Fengdu City with utmost speed. Now was the best opportunity to reconstruct the Path of Reincarnation.

The dimension wiped her eyes. His Highness was right—there was no time for self-pity.

The dimension and the Four Seasons appeared on the land that had suffered the most damage. The dimension prayed silently that things would not worsen, or she would blame herself forever.

Fortunately, no deaths had occurred, only injuries. People were startled awake from their dreams, unaware of what had happened, only feeling the earth’s tremor.

The ground had only shaken briefly and did not continue. The situation was quickly calmed. After arranging everything, they returned to Fengdu City.

Though color had returned to the dimension’s face, unease lingered within her. What method had His Highness used to keep casualties so low?

Nuoluo arrived at the Path of Reincarnation with the utmost haste. All the required land had been transported. Now she could begin the reconstruction. Yet she was shocked by a growing sense of powerlessness—her body increasingly uncontrollable.

She prayed fervently that no mistakes would occur now. The sudden anomaly in the dimension had already drained her strength to compensate. Now was the crucial moment.

Nuoluo summoned a protective barrier; she needed safeguarding. Raising her hand, she found her fingers trembling uncontrollably. Her injuries worsened. Moreover, the persistent dilemma that haunted her seemed on the verge of reemerging.

No further abnormalities could be allowed. Nuoluo sliced her finger; the sharp pain slowly restored her awareness.

She gathered her strength anew. The land of the Path of Reincarnation was gradually replaced. Fertile earth inch by inch covered the road leading to hope.

Nuoluo focused all her attention on this unprecedented Path of Reincarnation before her.

She did not notice the blood trailing down from beneath her feet, staining the earth crimson.

When the dimension and the Four Seasons sensed the Path of Reincarnation, they witnessed an unforgettable sight.

Though they had witnessed the path’s emergence before, they never imagined that replacing the land atop it with mortal realm soil would present such a scene.

A road seemingly devoid of life yet brimming with infinite vitality, faint but eternal traces of life flickered.

Even without stepping upon it, the distinctive fragrance of mortal soil reached them—a scent unique to the mortal realm. It was as if this was not a path to the underworld but a stretch of the most fertile land in the mortal world, awaiting the arrival of spring when all things would awaken.

Previously, they had opposed any alteration to the Path of Reincarnation. But now, they understood how profoundly wise His Highness’s decision was. They had never expected such a breathtaking transformation upon replacing the soil.

Even mortals walking this road would gain renewed vigor, let alone the spirits awaiting reincarnation. For the spirits to tread such a road was itself a miracle.

What was even more astounding was the figure standing before the Path of Reincarnation—a silhouette they could never surpass in a lifetime. The sovereign of the earth, the Earth Goddess who held the highest dominion over the mortal realm, quietly watching her life's work become reality.

Compared to the Path of Reincarnation, Nuoluo’s figure seemed small, yet her presence was overwhelmingly powerful, impossible to ignore.

Her long hair fluttered in the wind, strands of gold reflecting the purest colors of the earth — hues only seen during the harvest season, symbols of abundance.

Nuoluo seemed unaware of the dimension and the Four Seasons’ arrival. She stood with her back to them, silent. An invisible pressure radiated from her, so formidable that even the goddess behind her dared not disturb her peace.

The dimension and the Four Seasons stood silently behind Nuoluo, afraid to interrupt. In their hearts, if His Highness did not speak now, it meant there was still unfinished business.

Time flowed quietly. Nuoluo remained still, unyielding. The dimension and the Four Seasons dared not disturb her. Time seemed to freeze here as they jointly witnessed the completion of the Path of Reincarnation.

Silence.

Silence.

Nuoluo never turned back.

The dimension sensed something amiss. Would His Highness be all right? Was she punishing her for the earlier mistake by deliberately ignoring them? Yet, upon reflection, if that were true, His Highness would not do so subtly. She would have issued orders directly rather than willfully ignoring them.

The Four Seasons gently tugged the dimension’s sleeve and whispered, words only they could hear, “Would His Highness really be angry enough to ignore us?”

“Don’t overthink it. His Highness must be scrutinizing the Path of Reincarnation for any remaining issues. We must not disturb her. When she wishes to see us, she will turn around. Let’s wait here quietly.”

“Okay.” The Four Seasons quietly moved aside.

Though the dimension said so, she still felt that something was wrong. Yet she could not pinpoint the problem. She never imagined the predicament in which Nuoluo now found herself.

At this moment, the dimension had no idea that if she faced Nuoluo directly, she would be stunned by what she saw—because Nuoluo was utterly unable to speak.

After reconstructing the Path of Reincarnation, Nuoluo’s injuries worsened instantly. Fortunately, the bloodstain at her feet had vanished; otherwise, the dimension would surely have noticed her abnormality.

Nuoluo appeared frozen in place, unable to move. After several attempts, her fingertips regained faint sensation.

She felt a chill on her face. She thought tears were falling, pondering her own condition. Yet what streamed down were not tears but vivid, red drops of blood.

Blood tears.

Alas, she could not see this herself. The dimension and the Four Seasons behind her could not guess. Fearing they would interfere with Nuoluo’s plan, they remained unaware that their most revered goddess was in her most critical moment.

Finally, Nuoluo could move. She flexed her fingertips, feeling sensation. She wiped the chill from her face but froze the instant she looked down.

She saw her blood tears.

Yet she showed no sign of distress, quietly wiping them away as if it were insignificant. Only her trembling fingertips betrayed her inner turmoil. She feared collapsing suddenly. If she fell now, who would carry on the remaining tasks? No, she must endure, persevere until Fengdu City was truly established before she could take a brief rest.