Volume One: Youths Meet in Humble Times Chapter 72: The Council of Titans, Part 3

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At the banquet, everyone’s thoughts constantly shifted, and the city lord knew that these guests were here for reasons beyond mere feasting. After the meal, he ordered the tables cleared away. Those who had no relation to the matter or whose status was insufficient were dismissed, leaving only the members of the Imperial Supreme Hall, the heads of the institutes, Zhou Yu of Great Achievement, the three elders of the Li family, Xie Tong from the Green Mountain Sword, the leading elders of the Six Sects, the patriarchs and ancestors from the five great families of Tianmen Town. By custom, Lu Ming should not have qualified to attend, but his last-minute ascension to the path granted him entry; this time, the city lord specially permitted this young sword immortal to listen in.

This maneuver once again drew much attention from the younger generation present; sharp, knife-like gazes darted at him in secret. Had those looks been lethal, Lu Ming would have been riddled with wounds.

Once they entered the council hall and the servants brought hot tea and refreshments, then withdrew, Zhang Helun spoke first. “Everyone, I won’t mince words. I know why you’ve come to Tianmen Town—it’s all for the matter of the Gate of Heaven soon to open. Let us begin our discussion.”

“I’ll lay out what I know: first, I don’t know when the Gate of Heaven will open; second, I don’t know how to summon it forth, nor where it is hidden; third, if the Gate opens, it will certainly be connected to the Netherbeast in the sea. Perhaps the existence of Tianmen Town itself is one of the conditions sealing the Netherbeast.”

The first two points Zhang Helun mentioned were vague, but the third struck everyone deeply. He would not have said this without solid evidence linking the Netherbeast to Tianmen Town.

After his words, Zhang Helun scanned the faces of those present, finding them inscrutable. He scoffed, “So many years have passed, and you’re all still the same as before.”

Zhang Helun had served as the city lord in Tianmen Town for less than a hundred years, and what he could investigate was extremely limited. The environment of Tianmen Town was inherently complex; not to mention that in this lawless land, one could not wield their own Dao power. His cultivation had not advanced at all during his tenure. The Nether Sea and its Netherbeast alone posed great difficulties.

The existence of the Netherbeast in Tianmen was ancient indeed, and everyone present had considered that there must be some connection between the Gate and the Netherbeast.

“City lord, do you know what relationship exists between the Netherbeast and the Gate of Heaven?” Elder Yuan from Fallen Peak asked.

Zhang Helun considered, then replied, “My knowledge is limited. For example, the recent rising of the sea level—according to ancient texts, this is the only opportunity to open the Gate. I also know the sea’s rise is related to the Netherbeast. Perhaps the Netherbeast is about to break through its shackles, or the seal here is weakening.”

Upon hearing this, all were silent. If the city lord was correct, opening the Gate was urgent. But would opening it affect the Netherbeast?

The answer, the city lord admitted, was unknown. The books in the city lord’s mansion offered little useful information.

Now, he revealed the first secret. In his view, if the others did not unite to unravel the mysteries of Tianmen Town, he would keep the remaining two secrets to himself, for he had no particular interest in the Gate.

Moreover, seven years prior, the five great families of Tianmen Town had forced him, via their younger generation, to hand over the city lord’s books concerning Tianmen Town. The information hidden within those books was the second secret he withheld. But he would never willingly play the villain and reveal it.

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As expected, the members of the five families grew restless—their intense desire regarding Tianmen Town made them unable to sit still. The matter of the Netherbeast was set aside; for now, they wanted to know how to open the Gate.

Wang Zhong of the five families spoke, “Everyone, to be frank, our five families have settled in Tianmen Town for many years. According to our investigations, to open the Gate, a sacrificial array is required. Yet we do not know what the offering must be.”

Seven years ago, after obtaining the relevant books through the younger Wang Feiyu, their original plan was to investigate the central stone stele for any unusual properties.

After much searching, all they found was that the stele and the Nether Sea had formed during the same era, and that the stele served as the foundation of the array sealing the Netherbeast. Based on this, their interest in the stele waned completely; it was, after all, an object sealing that terrifying creature, and no matter how much they dared, they would not covet such a thing.

Fortunately, their efforts were not entirely fruitless. By combining years of investigation with hints from the books, they finally determined that the Gate was hidden within Tianmen Town by the elders of old using an array. To find the Gate, they must locate the sacrificial array and activate it to summon the Gate.

After Wang Zhong’s explanation, the other Six Sects’ representatives all looked toward Elder Huang of Yin Mountain Sect.

Wasn’t Elder Huang speaking of much the same thing?

Elder Huang shared what she knew, “Our Yin Mountain Sect is aware of the need for a ritual. If we combine this with what Elder Wang said, his sacrificial array is a lock, and our ritual is the key.”

She hesitated, unsure whether to continue, but Zhang Helun watched her closely, thinking, “As expected, some among them know the truth. That saves me some effort. Let’s see if they will act in accordance with humanity, or not.”

Everyone urged her to continue. Elder Huang gave a cold laugh in her heart, and went on, “The so-called ritual requires the lives of Tianmen Town’s people.”

At this, all were shocked.

They had considered many kinds of rituals and offerings, but never imagined it would require human lives.

Though they were powerful cultivators, far removed from ordinary life and death, the sudden revelation that common lives would be used as sacrifice stirred a ripple of compassion within their hearts.

Elder Chen of Fate Gate asked, “How many lives would the ritual require?”

Elder Huang replied, “It may require one-third of Tianmen Town’s population.”

One-third—the number nearly encompassed half the town’s population distribution.

All were horrified and began to question whether Yin Mountain Sect’s claim was accurate.

Zhou Yu of Great Achievement frowned deeply. As a member of the imperial family, he felt a natural sense of responsibility toward all subjects under the dynasty’s rule, even those far in Tianmen Town. To use his people as sacrifice to open the Gate was no trivial matter. At best, it was neglect of human life; at worst, it placed imperial authority and dignity beneath the cultivation world, in direct contradiction to the founding principles of the dynasty.

He held his position, glanced at Zhang Helun, and seeing no reaction, could only wait and observe.

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Elder Yuan of Fallen Peak asked, “Elder Huang, dare I ask if you have proof for your claim?”

This time, Elder Huang did not respond with sarcasm, perhaps understanding the gravity of using human lives for a ritual.

She cast a spell, conjuring a map of Tianmen Town’s terrain, with several points of light shimmering. She pointed to one, “This map was given to me by our ancestor. She said the locations of the lights, if viewed in terms of celestial constellations, resemble what star diagram?”

Those present, most knowledgeable in star diagrams, was Elder Chen of Fate Gate. He studied it, then mused, “It corresponds to the positions of the Northern Dipper and Southern Dipper stars. But...”

He hesitated, uncertain whether what he saw aligned with his thoughts.

Seeing his pause, the others urged him to speak. Elder Chen pondered and finally confirmed, “But according to ancient texts, the Northern Dipper governs life, the Southern Dipper governs death. Thus, the Northern Dipper’s distribution is associated with vitality in the east, circling north; the Southern Dipper with death in the west, circling south. Yet here in Tianmen Town, the positions are reversed—death governs the town, and the Nether Sea corresponds to life. It’s as if the array’s gates of life and death have been swapped.”

He looked deeply at Elder Huang and continued, “Your Yin Mountain Sect is remarkable, able to discern Tianmen Town’s spiritual energy patterns and draw its star diagram accordingly.”

Indeed, every place has unique spiritual energy flows, granted by heaven’s virtue, but Tianmen Town’s flow had always been hidden beneath apparent lifelessness.

Still, the connection to Tianmen Town remained unclear.

Li Zhongmi of the Li family asked, “You’ve said much, but what does it have to do with the Gate of Heaven in Tianmen Town?”

Elder Chen, gazing at the star diagram, replied, “Our Fate Gate knows that to open the Gate, immense power is needed, along with a vast amount of spiritual energy for manifestation. Tianmen Town, sealed as a place of death, has enormous spiritual energy hidden beneath it. The key to unlocking the death zone is abundant vitality.”

Someone asked, “If we use livestock or monsters’ vitality, would it suffice?”

Elder Huang replied, “No. Only the residents of Tianmen Town will do. They are native-born of this lawless land, inheriting its aura from birth, perfectly matching the array. Moreover, our ancestor’s investigations revealed that their bloodline is both the means of suppressing the Gate and the crucial element to breaking its restraints.”

Her words left the room in silent contemplation.

They had always considered themselves righteous, their deeds justified before heaven and earth. Yet, to use human lives as sacrificial offerings was a choice laid bare before them, one they could not avoid.

Some choices are easily made, for they have little consequence, or bear no great weight upon oneself. But others are profoundly difficult, for once the decision involves reputation or the inner demons of cultivation, one must think thrice before acting.