Chapter 75: Voices of Doubt

Fuli silently listened to the disputes within the temple, as if the fate of Fengdu City was already sealed and unchangeable. From this moment onward, the forces of the Underworld would officially intervene in the mortal realm. But what did the Lord of the Underworld want with Fengdu City? Was this the agreement they had reached?

Back in the Divine Realm, Lei Ling had once mentioned this matter to him, though at the time the specifics of the pact were unclear. Now, it seemed everything had been premeditated. Yet, if Fengdu City was to belong to the Underworld, it would become a city of death. As a deity of the earth, would she allow the shadow of death to once again hang over the mortal world?

"Your Highness, should you not offer an explanation regarding Fengdu City? As the Magistrate of the Divine Realm, I have the right to know the truth!" Fuli stepped before Nuoluo, determined to hear the answer directly since he could not guess what had transpired. His demeanor appeared casual, but his tone made it clear Nuoluo was obliged to explain.

Fuli’s imperious tone immediately drew the ire of the Goddess of Seasons. Though she had not understood Nuoluo’s decisions earlier, it did not mean Fuli could question their sovereign with such a tone.

The mortal realm, nominally under the Divine Realm, had always existed apart from it. The Divine Realm had watched the recent cataclysm in the mortal world with folded arms, even kicking them when they were down at the most desperate moment. Now, after Nuoluo's safe return, they feigned concern. Such fickleness was intolerable.

Within the lands of the mortal world, Nuoluo was the highest sovereign, the true mistress of this domain. The previous disputes were internal matters; she could question and oppose, but the Divine Realm had neither the right to oppose nor to doubt.

Shaoguang also regarded Fuli coldly. She understood Nuoluo’s difficulties in her debate with the Lord of the Underworld—regarding the City of Reincarnation, Nuoluo had made a promise in the Underworld, and as a deity of the earth, that promise must be honored.

But Fuli, in regard to the City of Reincarnation, had no right to question.

"Magistrate, please mind your tone. This is not the Divine Realm," said the Goddess of Seasons, speaking for both Time and Shaoguang.

Fuli ignored them, focusing solely on Nuoluo.

"No disrespect to the Magistrate," Nuoluo’s gaze swept over the Goddess of Seasons, calm and unruffled.

The Goddess of Seasons lowered her head, though she did not believe she had erred.

The Lord of the Underworld had achieved his goal and was displeased by Fuli’s challenge. Had Fuli forgotten his own identity? What right did he have to question?

Nuoluo looked at Fuli. "What sort of explanation do you require, Magistrate?" She had anticipated that, once the Lord of the Underworld made his request, Fuli would raise objections.

"Fengdu City!"

"It’s simple. Fengdu City will become a City of Reincarnation, granting innocent souls a chance to be reborn. Is this explanation satisfactory, Your Highness?"

"City of Reincarnation!"

The phrase echoed in unison.

Fuli stared at Nuoluo in astonishment, then glanced at the Lord of the Underworld. Had he heard correctly? The Lord of the Underworld agreed to establish a City of Reincarnation in the mortal realm, giving the dead a chance at rebirth. What did this mean? Once the City of Reincarnation was built, the balance of the universe would be irrevocably altered. The impact would be unimaginable.

If the dead could reincarnate, the mortal realm’s power would continue to expand. The Lord of the Underworld could use this to increase his influence in the mortal world. No matter the outcome, it boded ill for the Divine Realm.

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"Does the Heavenly Emperor know about this? Does the Empress?" Fuli knew the answer was no. With Lei Ling’s temperament, she would never have agreed if she knew.

So this was the pact they had reached—an outcome beyond imagination, unheard of.

"As for the affairs of the mortal realm, I am still the one in charge, am I not, Magistrate?" Nuoluo’s calm voice revealed her stance; her decision was not to be questioned.

"You!" Fuli wanted to protest further, but found himself at a loss. She did indeed have the authority to decide.

"The City of Reincarnation will benefit the people. If so, how can the Divine Realm not lend its strength?" Fuli thought, though the outcome could not be changed, the balance might still be shifted. The Divine Realm’s power must be woven into the City of Reincarnation.

"This matter requires no interference from the Divine Realm," the Lord of the Underworld replied without hesitation.

"I fear you cannot make that decision alone," Fuli responded, meeting the Lord of the Underworld’s gaze without flinching. Until the City of Reincarnation was built, there was hope for change.

"What say you, Goddess of the Earth?" asked the Lord of the Underworld, seeking only Nuoluo’s answer.

"Regarding the City of Reincarnation, since the decision is made, there will be no dissent. I will honor my promise, and hope Your Majesty will do the same." Nuoluo nodded, steadfast in her resolve. The Lord of the Underworld would not go back on his word, but the Divine Realm—who could say? Nuoluo did not overlook the change in Fuli.

The Goddess of Seasons and the Goddess of Time exchanged glances, each seeing joy in the other’s eyes. If the City of Reincarnation was established, its influence on the mortal realm would be profound.

The Goddess of Seasons cast a reproachful look at Shaoguang—why had she not shared any hint of this? She had just questioned Nuoluo’s decision, but every step the sovereign took was carefully considered.

After the excitement, the Goddess of Time grew calm. She could not fathom how Nuoluo had persuaded the Lord of the Underworld to make such an unlikely promise.

But the City of Reincarnation had never existed before; its construction was a mystery, as were the events it might bring. All was still unknown.

Aurora Goddess Shaoguang, Seasons Goddess Shulan, and Time Goddess Yingguang were Nuoluo’s most important goddesses. Among them, the Goddess of Time was the most meticulous.

The Goddess of Time worried about the City of Reincarnation; if the Divine Realm could not intervene, they would surely demand the same conditions.

Seeing the outcome, with Nuoluo and the Lord of the Underworld settled on the City of Reincarnation and the Lord’s explicit rejection of his involvement, an idea began to take shape in Fuli’s mind—a plan capable of rivaling the City of Reincarnation. But now was not the moment to reveal it.

Fuli’s silence worried Nuoluo; she did not miss the fleeting coldness in his eyes—the complex expression that clearly conveyed his dissatisfaction and the inscrutable schemes churning within him.

Though she did not know what plans Lei Ling and Fuli had, Nuoluo was certain their terms would not be easier than the Lord of the Underworld's, perhaps even harsher.

Since Fuli's arrival in the mortal realm, she had sensed as much.

The Lord of the Underworld noticed the changes in the temple but paid them no mind. He surveyed the temple again—its master had changed.

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The light of the temple, once symbolic of the earth god’s unending flame, had extinguished again and again. Was it that the temple had abandoned the mortal realm, or had the mortal realm long since abandoned it, like the history of Fengdu City? Everything had already changed.

The Lord of the Underworld walked to the place of the temple light, his fingertip flickering. In an instant, a deep flame replaced the former sacred blaze. The black light was like the eternal gloom of the Underworld, the chill unchanged across generations.

As the flame ignited, everything within the temple began to transform. Nuoluo felt as if she had returned to the Underworld, for only there could such a force erase all traces of life.

Nuoluo felt her hem stir. Looking down, she saw the always silent Niaoniao, its mouth open but voiceless.

Nuoluo remembered the warning she had given Niaoniao; it had not forgotten. "There are no humans here. If you wish to speak, you may do so."

"Niaoniao wants to leave. This place makes Niaoniao very uncomfortable." It recalled all it had suffered in the Underworld, the aura of death always feeling alien.

"Very well." Nuoluo placed Niaoniao back upon her shoulder. The history of Fengdu City had reached its final punctuation; it was about to undergo a new transformation. Not just Fengdu City—perhaps the entire mortal realm would change.

"Your Majesty, since you have chosen Fengdu City, should the conditions for reincarnation be decided soon?"

The Lord of the Underworld had no objection. By igniting the Underworld’s flame within the temple, he had signaled to all the gods of the Underworld that the news was now theirs.

Nuoluo was the first to leave the temple, her dominion over it lost.

As she stepped outside, Nuoluo could not help but look back again. The light within the temple was no longer bright, but exuded the darkness unique to the Underworld. Her heart was tangled in indescribable complexity. She turned her gaze upward, wondering if the sky above the temple had changed color as well.

The sky above remained tranquil, but all would soon be irrevocably altered—perhaps it had already begun.

Nuoluo was startled to find countless shadows gathering in the sky, like the coming of the apocalypse, blocking all light. Looking closer, she saw they were innumerable souls of the dead—a sight only seen in the Underworld, now manifest before her eyes.

From the moment the temple flame changed, countless spirits drifting in every corner of the mortal realm seemed to respond to a summons, converging upon Fengdu City.

The souls were drawn inexorably toward Fengdu City, an invisible force compelling them to gather there.

They struggled to break free from this invisible constraint, resisting ceaselessly but powerless.

The endless parade of spirits reflected, in another way, the present state of the mortal realm—the devastation so severe, how many could truly escape the shadow of death?

She could not remain in Fengdu City alone. Compared to the dead, the lives that survived were more precious.

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