“Get lost!” The burly men, clearly blinded by rage, kicked the frail man off the Saint Lord without hesitation and began beating him mercilessly. Unable to stand it any longer, I charged toward the bonfire, while the snow wolf shot forward like an arrow loosed from its string.
At that moment, I caught sight of shadows rushing in from all directions — birds soaring through the air, deer bounding forward, and numerous small creatures of unrecognizable species. It seemed as if the entire forest’s wildlife had gathered to protect their deity. Cries of alarm rang out. The burly leader who had dared to harass the Saint Lord, along with his men, was sent flying by the charging deer. Some were swarmed by frenzied birds, flailing and fleeing with their heads covered, while others were chased and bitten by the beasts. I stood frozen in place until a cold voice rang out: “Just drive them away, don’t harm them!”
The snow wolf let out a long howl and leaped onto the Saint Lord. At that moment, he finally noticed me. His gaze froze in shock, as if caught off guard. But before he could utter a word, the ground beneath us suddenly trembled violently. With a deafening roar, the earth split open and collapsed.
Is it another avalanche?
My footing vanished beneath me, and as I plummeted into the crevice, a firm hand suddenly seized my wrist. I crashed into a solid embrace, it was the Saint Lord who had caught me. Then, with a steady lift, he pushed me upward.
“Climb the tree!” Snapping back to my senses, I instinctively followed his command and scrambled up the nearest tree. The Saint Lord swiftly followed. Looking down, I finally saw it — the snow-covered ground of the forest had split apart, revealing a network of deep crevices. Beneath the surface, gnarled roots twisted and writhed like countless giant serpents, ensnaring those who had fallen in. Screams of terror echoed through the air.
“What’s going on…? Have these trees become spirits?” I asked in shock and confusion, only to be pulled into his embrace. “I don’t know either,” he murmured. “Hold on to me!”
“My son… come here…”
At this moment, a sound like the whistling mountain wind came from deep within the earth.
“W-What is this…?” A chill ran down my spine. The Saint Lord tightened his hold on me and called out, “Are you the guardian deity of this land? We entered by mistake and meant no offense. Please grant us passage, once we leave, I will set up a shrine in your honor!”
“I… am… your… father…”
The fierce mountain wind swept up from below, and a large hole suddenly collapsed on the ground a few steps away from the tree where we were, like an ancient giant beast opening its mouth.
From the wide mouth, a faint crimson figure began to materialize. The figure’s limbs were strangely intertwined with countless tree roots, as though they were its veins and fingers.
“Tree… tree demon? How… how is he calling himself your father?” My teeth chattered in fear, and I saw the Saint Lord furrow his brow, his eyes widening as he stared at the figure. He, too, was clearly stunned.
“You… carry my blood, born with a spiritual pulse unlike any other. You were destined for transcendence, to become a saint. But your fate is marked by a trial, burdened with karmic debts. You cannot become a god, your path is doomed to lead to darkness. Come down, offer yourself, and help me escape. I will grant you the power to overturn the world. Not only will you control your own destiny, but all life in this world will be yours to command, to give life or take it!”
“If you are not the guardian deity of this land… What are you?” The Saint Lord’s voice was low and solemn. “Are you a demon?”
“Demon?” The voice erupted into a booming, earth-shaking laugh. “I told you… I am your father!”
“Nonsense! My real father is in a foreign land!” The Saint Lord rebuked sharply. “You, demon, release us and these people at once, or else I…”
“What will you do?” The voice continued to laugh mercilessly. “What will you do? You’ve cultivated for many years, but all you have is spiritual power, with no mastery of magic. You have no strength to protect yourself or others. If you did, how could you be trapped here by me? Tell me, my son, do you wish to become powerful?”
“Shut up!” The Saint Lord’s arm holding me stiffened as he glanced at me. “I am but one step away from ascension to godhood. In the future, I will become a powerful being.”
“Hahaha… But he is your karmic burden. As long as he is here, you will never become a god. Even if you ascend to godhood, you will walk the path of cultivation over countless corpses, carrying the weight of sin. You will suffer to atone for those sins. Why endure all that? Why not allow me to help you take one step to the heavens, swallow the sun and moon, and have the power to take whatever you desire?”
“Stop trying to deceive me!” The Saint Lord’s voice was firm and unwavering. “I have reached the final barrier in my cultivation, on the verge of touching the realm of the gods. Just a little more time, and I will ascend.” He spoke each word with conviction. “It is precisely because I have walked over countless corpses that I must become a god. Only by becoming a god will I have the power to protect those I wish to protect. Only then can I change everything, shake… the heavens above, and guide the souls of the dead to their rebirth!”
A jolt ran through my heart. Though I didn’t fully understand the path of divine cultivation, I could grasp the meaning behind the Saint Lord’s words. Just as that figure had said earlier, the Saint Lord was a good person, truly a very good person.
The surroundings fell into complete silence, all sounds fading away.
After a long while, the voice from below finally echoed once more.
“Fine then, I… will allow you to choose your path in the future. Whether it be later or sooner, you are destined to fall into darkness…”
“At that time, I will be here, waiting for you.”
With a loud rumble, the fissures in the earth slowly closed. In just a moment, when I looked again, all that remained was a vast expanse of white. The only traces were fallen leaves and scattered footprints, nothing else. The people who had been entangled in the tree roots were all gone, as if they had never existed.
A wave of fear washed over me. If the Saint Lord hadn’t grabbed hold of me, I too might have perished here.
“Come down.”
The Saint Lord jumped down from the tree, arms outstretched, watching me.
I didn’t hesitate. I jumped down, and he caught me in his arms, holding me tightly to his chest.
“Why did you come back? I told you to return to the palace,” he said, gripping the back of my neck and pressing my head to his chest. “Are you worried about me?”
“I… The Saint Lord risked your life to save me, so of course I couldn’t escape alone,” I replied, lifting my head. “I saw those people beating you earlier. Are you alright, Saint Lord? Does it hurt anywhere?”
My chin was gently gripped, and his blue eyes locked onto mine. “If you truly care about me, why do you still call me Saint Lord?” He pressed me against the tree, his thumb tracing over my lips with frustration. “How can I get you to say what I really want to hear? Is it that hard to call me Nalin?”
“Na… lin?” I murmured absentmindedly, unable to stop myself. A crack seemed to open in my chest, and a wave of burning emotion surged in my heart. Before I could make sense of it, my lips were suddenly pressed firmly against his. I instinctively clenched his clothes, unable to push him away. But he kissed me briefly before pulling back, taking my hand. “This is no place to linger.”
With that, he took my hand, walking toward the direction of the moon, his steps uneven.
When I saw the distant outline of the palace on the mountain peak, my feet froze. “I… don’t want to return to the palace.”
He turned to look at me, his grip tightening on my hand. “Where do you want to go?”
“I want… to go home.” I replied timidly, speaking the truth.
“Then, would you allow me to go home with you?” His blue eyes fixed on me as he asked, each word deliberate. “Just like fourteen years ago, I’ll escape with you. How about it?”
I froze, a sudden sharp pain shot through my head. This scene, this moment, felt eerily familiar. In the span of just a moment’s daze, my body was abruptly pulled forward and fell into his embrace.
His arm tightened around my waist, holding me in place. “Now you’re being honest. Not trying to deceive me anymore?” He gently stroked my cheek. “Fine, I was just testing you. You can’t escape. Since fourteen years ago, these surrounding mountains have had watchposts on every peak, and there are checkpoints at the gates of nearby towns. Without the proper pass, you can’t pass through. The same goes for the riverbanks.”
A tight knot formed in my chest, and instinctively, I struggled, trying to push away and run. But before I could move, he pressed me down into the snow, quickly took off his belt, bound my hands, and then dragged me up again.
“I won’t believe your lies anymore.” He pressed against the back of my neck and gritted his teeth, “Why should I suffer so much? I should have done the same thing fourteen years ago, just imprisoned you, little fox, and ended the matter!”
“Saint Lord…” I really felt like a prisoner, stumbling as he escorted me away. Suddenly I felt that the way he treated me was not like that of a kind person at all.
“Hey, you, who are you?” A distant shout rang out from behind just then. The voice sounded oddly familiar. I turned to look and saw a few figures emerging from the shadows of the trees. The Saint Lord also halted, pulling me behind him as he watched that direction warily. One hand was raised, gripping a white flute.
“Brother Xue, why are you here?”
