Chapter 124: Song of the Twin Gods pt. 5

There were countless legends about the ancient gods. After the queen established the Baiwei Dynasty, she had people compile these legends into a book, which was distributed throughout the Six Prefectures for prominent sects and clans to read. From then on, all the sects unified, and everyone believed that the ancestor of all spirits was the Jiao Mother. 

Since the ancestral spirit was the Jiao Mother, the ancient gods formed from the Jiao Mother’s body were naturally the gods among gods and deserved greater worship. Initially, there was no hierarchy among the ancient gods, but as the Baiwei Dynasty stabilised, the twin gods of sun and moon gradually became the most revered among the ancient gods. As per the queen's teachings to the Six Prefectures: no matter which of the four limbs, the mouth or the nose, none of them could be compared to the eyes! 

Because the twin gods were revered, the Ming family, who claimed to be descended from them, were also highly respected. The twin gods were supreme among the gods, and the Ming family ruled the mortal realm. This order was clear and interconnected, perfectly aligning with both divine and human principles. No one ever questioned: why would Hui Mang, the moon god, command thunder and rain? 

When the moon hides, storms appear; when the moon rises, thunder vanishes. The moon and thunder, thunder and moon, were fundamentally opposed and incompatible!

“I’ll tell you,” Ming Zhuo raised two fingers, and the blood on the back of his hand dripped like beads from a broken string, one after another. The curve of his lips deepened, “Break Clamour.”

Break Clamour! 

Every Tongshen was well-versed in the divine language. Throughout their lives, they had to memorise hundreds of simplified incantations. Because of this, turning the simplified back into its full form was also something they must learn. They needed to be familiar with the rhythm of the divine language and convert each other's simplified incantations back to full sentences to clearly understand which god the other was invoking. So, when the spell "Break Clamour" was spoken, little Luo Xu immediately guessed its full sentence.

Break the Clamouring Thunder of the Heaven Official’s winged canopy—It was thunder, this Thunder Order had always borrowed the spiritual power of a Thunder God!

Hōnglóng!

Purple lightning tore through the pitch-black, silent sky.

Hōnglóng!

A thunder dragon wildly pounced out, and the windows and doors shattered by the Fragrant God lit up all at once, making the surroundings as bright as day. The falling snow seemed to freeze in mid-air, suspended in silence—

Hōnglóng!

The roof exploded, and the strong wind, as if strangled, crashed around wildly amidst the lightning. Little Luo Xu, who had just sat up, was knocked over by the wind. The white robe wrapped around him, allowing him to barely make out the scene before him.

Ming Zhuo's robe flared, and the thunder spear, unstoppable as ever, once again nailed itself to the doorway! The Fragrant God screamed and twisted violently at the doorway. Its tail—or perhaps some other part—slammed heavily against the ground. Being invisible, Little Luo Xu could only smell the strange fragrance, which seemed to be the Fragrant God’s blood, flooding the entire ruined temple.

"Ah—"

The Fragrant God let out a scream that sounded almost human. It was unclear if it was a head or tail, but it bit into the thunder spear at the doorway. The lightning wrapped around the spear's shaft and immediately burst forth, exploding into the Fragrant God, and causing it to crash heavily to the other side.

Ming Zhuo did not stop, snapping his fingers to the left and right. Hui Mang responded to the command, swirling out from behind him, light as a wisp of smoke.

Zhēng!

Hui Mang lightly plucked the pipa, and moonlight immediately appeared outside. 

No, calling it moonlight was too strange, for it gently extended into the ruined temple like a robe, slowly covering the doorway.

Zhēng, zhēng, zhēng.

Hui Mang lowered its silk-covered face, holding the pipa with two arms while the other two arms merged into the moonlight. The wind fluttered Hui Mang’s silk, and its dark skin harmonised unexpectedly well with the moonlight. The soft lines of its exposed jaw made it look like a harmless mortal.

Ming Zhuo said, "Devour it!"

Hui Mang’s ten fingers suddenly bent, the pipa strings snapped, creating a harsh noise. Its spine began to change, bones forcefully pushing backwards, bending its upper body into a hooked shape. As Huiming transformed, the moonlight began to pulse, as if chewing with its cheeks.

It began—

First the head, then the hands! The bones were chewed to pieces, swallowed whole with skin and tendons. The hair couldn't be torn off and got stuck in its throat...

Ming Zhuo grabbed his collar, blood dripping from his face. His amber eyes coldly stared at the moonlight, the knot of his throat moving as if enduring some kind of disgust. "Eat it faster for me."

The moonlight chewed faster, almost devouring hungrily. The Fragrant God wailed again in agony.

Ming Zhuo said, "Too slow."

He lifted his leg and stepped on the Fragrant God’s invisible body, pulling out the remaining half of the lightning spear from the ground and shoving it into the Fragrant God’s mouth. 

Pīpā!

The lightning spear exploded in the Fragrant God's mouth, and the strange scent intensified, smelling like rotting fruit. Hui Mang’s body hunched over, all four hands clawing at its face.

Little Luo Xu stared blankly at the grotesque scene before him; Hui Mang looked like—

Like a beast.

Ming Zhuo picked up the pipa, the broken strings resembling burnt hair, faintly emitting the smell of a lightning strike. It was unclear how much time had passed, but Hui Mang finally stopped eating, licking its fingers as if still not satisfied.

Little Luo Xu pulled his robe tightly, his throat constricting as he tried to speak, "Ming—"

He had barely said a word when Hui Mang seemed to be provoked.

Wind.

Not wind, but white silk ribbons. In just a short breath, Hui Mang was already in front of Little Luo Xu. Up close, Hui Mang was twice the size of an average person, spreading its four arms as if to devour Little Luo Xu as well.

Ming Zhuo raised his hand, and the sound of chains rang out. Hui Mang’s body suddenly leaned back, as if being pulled by its hair. Ming Zhuo tightened his grip on the chains, tugging them with a self-destructive force. "I didn't allow you to move."

Hui Mang was yanked away from its spot, and Little Luo Xu, using the white robe to cover his head and face, manoeuvred around Hui Mang and ran to Ming Zhuo. Ming Zhuo tilted his head slightly, avoiding the light impatiently. "I didn't permit you to move around either."

Little Luo Xu released the robe and shook it in the air, draping it over Ming Zhuo's head. Ming Zhuo's vision darkened, and his hand was suddenly held. He heard the young man's voice, strong but feigning calm, "There's so much blood, let me wipe it off for you."

The robe gently enveloped him, and Little Luo Xu used the Luo You washing technique to wipe Ming Zhuo's face. Through the robe, Ming Zhuo's lowered eyes could only see Little Luo Xu standing on tiptoe.

"Is it blood?" Ming Zhuo suddenly grabbed Little Luo Xu's hand, lifting the robe to reveal half of his face, "Take another look."

The blood-shackle curse had already spread across the Lord’s neck and face. He looked more like a monster than Hui Mang, his body entwined with chains, and the words he spat were as sharp as fangs.

Little Luo Xu's hand was pressed against Ming Zhuo's face. His heart throbbed with pain, which he thought would be fleeting, but when his palm touched Ming Zhuo's wounds and curse marks, the throbbing became continuous and unstoppable.

"Seems you've forgotten," Ming Zhuo's eyes were dark, his tone arrogant, "This is called the Blood Shackle Curse. I use it to eat gods and humans."

The Author Has Something to Say

That was good (lying down softly)

Thanks for reading.