Chapter Eighty-Seven: Nine Lamps

At almost the very instant Liang Yan lost consciousness, on a celestial mountain countless tens of millions of li away from the Kingdom of Zhao, a strange scene was unfolding.

There, auspicious clouds drifted in graceful streams, and immortal cranes circled in the air. Jade pavilions and divine halls were hidden among white mists, appearing and vanishing by turns, while ancient pines and uncanny rocks rose from the cliffs in uncommon elegance.

Halfway up the mountain, immortal music played softly, calming the heart and clearing the mind. It was truly a paradise beyond the mortal world.

The mountain was astonishingly high. Even its foot had already sunk into the clouds, while its peak pierced straight into the heavens. From afar, it looked like a stone pillar holding up the sky and earth.

At the summit of such a towering peak, naturally there was not a single human figure to be seen. Yet nine white jade pavilions had been built there, and within each pavilion stood a stone table bearing a lamp.

These lamps came in all manner of shapes. Some had six lotus leaves beneath the lampstand; some looked like the oil-paper lanterns of the mortal world; some bore carved tortoise-shell patterns and inscriptions upon their bodies. Stranger still, one was shaped like a treasured sword, with only a tiny point of flame burning at the tip of the blade. Truly, they were wondrous in every conceivable form.

Most of these lamps burned quietly upon their own stone tables. Only one was different: shaped like a round jade disc, its flame flickered weakly at the center, as though it were a candle in the wind, liable to go out at any moment.

At the center of the nine white jade pavilions stood a small pond. Nine wooden plaques floated above it, and in the middle of the pond drifted a single lotus blossom.

At that moment, a streak of black light sped through the sky. It had still been a distant speck moments before, yet in the blink of an eye it had reached the summit. The black light descended directly into the center of the nine white jade pavilions, then dispersed to reveal the figure within.

He wore a black robe and had a wooden, expressionless face, looking much like an old man of a hundred years from the mortal realm. Yet his eyes shone with keen brilliance, betraying no trace of age.

In his arms, the black-robed daoist also held an infant still wrapped in swaddling cloth. The child’s complexion was rosy and healthy, a stark contrast to the old daoist. Most unusual of all, the infant was so small, yet did not cry or fuss. Instead, it stared at the daoist with a pair of bright, intelligent eyes from within the swaddling, seeming quite curious.

The black-robed daoist walked to the pond at the center of the nine pavilions and lifted his hand. With a wave, the infant floated up of its own accord and slowly settled upon the lotus blossom in the pond.

After placing the child, he raised his hand again and sent out seven seals of mystic art, each shooting toward seven of the nine wooden plaques floating above the pond. Then he said in a low voice, “I respectfully invite all senior brothers and junior brothers!”

Having spoken, he stood quietly in place and waited. After a long while, a lamp slowly rose from one of the jade pavilions and drifted into the air.

This lamp had six lotus leaves at its base, giving it an especially immortal bearing. Suspended in the air, it slowly rotated, then unexpectedly spoke in a human voice: “Good. Junior Brother Hidden Mystery has found the reincarnation of Junior Brother Azure Wanderer. This is a great merit indeed.”

As though in response, one lamp after another flew out from the jade pavilions. In the blink of an eye, five lamps were floating in the air, with only four remaining in their places.

One of them, shaped like an oil-paper lantern of the mortal world, slowly said: “Among the three thousand disciples of our sect, fewer than thirty were willing to cultivate the Supreme One Six Paths Reincarnation Scripture. Of those thirty, only Junior Brother Azure Wanderer came close to mastery. Now Azure Wanderer has undergone five reincarnations, and only this final life remains before his merit is complete.”

As soon as the lantern finished speaking, another lamp nearby, shaped like a scroll, added: “Heaven’s way is incomplete. Senior Brother Hidden Mystery once sacrificed years of his life to divine that Heaven’s flaw lies in the change of reincarnation. Junior Brother Azure Wanderer made a great vow and overcame all hardship, enduring countless dangers to cultivate the Supreme One Six Paths Reincarnation Scripture, all for the sake of repairing the defect in Heaven’s order. This is an act of immense goodness. We should give him our full support.” The speaker was a woman; her voice was ethereal and clear, calm and measured.

“In that case,” said the lotus-leaf lamp from before, “wash away the impurities and forge the marrow anew; strike down the turbid and raise the clear!”

A streak of azure light shot from the lotus-leaf lamp at once, striking the infant on the lotus. Clear radiance flowed around the child’s body. After a moment, the infant actually opened its mouth and slowly expelled a mass of black breath. Once that foul aura was forced out, the child’s skin became translucent and lustrous, white and jade-like, with spiritual energy faintly spilling from it.

The black qi was revolting beyond words. With a sweep of his wide sleeve, the black-robed daoist scattered it into heaven and earth.

“Take the sword as bone, and all demons shall withdraw!”

Another voice rang out, this time from the lamp shaped like a sharp blade. It had remained silent until now, but suddenly spoke. A streak of silvery-white radiance shot from it, straight toward the infant’s crown.

The child, frightened, shut its eyes tightly. Its whole body was enveloped in the silver-white light. Only after the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense did the radiance slowly recede.

The sword-shaped lamp, after releasing that beam, returned to stillness and said no more.

“Two senior brothers have shown jade before me; this scroll lamp can only make a humble display after them.” The scroll-shaped lamp drifted forward and softly intoned: “Rarely wise, with seven apertures of exquisite clarity!”

A pink light burst forth from the scroll lamp and struck the infant directly. Bathed in that glow, the child unexpectedly began to smell fragrant all over, while a glimmer of intelligence appeared in its eyes.

With these three divine arts acting upon the infant, the once flickering jade lamp among the nine, whose flame had seemed on the verge of extinguishing, actually began to burn brighter little by little. Though still not as vigorous as the other eight, it had already become much more luminous.

“Excellent. The impurities are washed away, the marrow remade, the bones reforged, and the spiritual platform opened to wisdom. We have done all we can; the rest depends on Junior Brother Azure Wanderer himself.” The black-robed daoist remained expressionless. Then, with a wave of his hand, the infant transformed into a streak of azure light and flew of its own accord down the mountain.

“There should be no problem for the first fifty years, should there?” the oil-paper lantern asked suddenly from the side.

“Junior Brother Hidden Mystery is known as the Three Hidden Mysteries Lamp. The things he divines need no further doubt,” the lotus-leaf lamp answered.

“Rest assured, Senior Brother. I have already divined Azure Wanderer’s first fifty years. There will be twists and turns, but no calamity. As for what happens after fifty years, that is not something we can interfere with.” The black-robed daoist spoke without expression.

The oil-paper lantern fell silent for a while, then said with obvious helplessness, “In that case, we can only trust to his own fortune.”

At this, everyone fell silent.

After some time, the black-robed daoist spoke again. “In truth, I summoned all of you here today not only for Junior Brother Azure Wanderer’s matter, but also because there is another important affair.”

“Oh? Let us hear it.”

The lamps in the air seemed to know this black-robed daoist’s temperament well. He was not one to speak lightly; whatever he said must concern the secrets of heaven. Hearing that there was another matter, all of them turned solemn.

“In the southern frontier, the secrets of heaven have changed. I fear an unorthodox demon may bring chaos to the world.”

“The southern frontier?!” The scroll-shaped lamp exclaimed. “That is a remote land, mostly inhabited by mortals. Even after several thousand years, there has been no sign of any change in fortune. How could a demonic calamity arise there?”

The black-robed daoist lowered his eyes, his expression unchanged.

“So the heavenly secret declares it; there is no changing it.”

The scroll lamp asked again, “Can you determine the exact location in the southern frontier?”

“It lies between the Five Kingdoms of Xu, Wu, Yan, Yue, and Zhao,” the black-robed daoist answered.

“Since it can stir Junior Brother Hidden Mystery’s perception, this demonic calamity is clearly extraordinary. If we simply stand aside, I fear the southern frontier will be plunged into devastation,” said the oil-paper lantern.

“The journey from here to the southern frontier is fraught with peril beyond reckoning. Even with our cultivation, it would take decades. Senior brothers and junior brothers, is there anyone already near the southern frontier?” the black-robed daoist asked with a frown.

“Among us, the one nearest the southern frontier is only Senior Brother Lotus Radiance. How long would it take Senior Brother Lotus Radiance to reach it?”

“At least fifty years,” the lotus-leaf lamp replied.

“Fifty years! Too slow. This calamity will erupt within twenty years at most.” The black-robed daoist shook his head and sighed.

“This...” Everyone fell silent again.

Then, suddenly, an embarrassed laugh rang out. “Could it be that senior brothers have forgotten there is still a junior brother here?”

The voice came from a peculiar lamp shaped like a battered wine gourd. A crack had split open along its body, and a small flame burned from within that opening.

The scroll-shaped lamp immediately replied, “Junior Brother Three Smiles, do not be absurd. This concerns the countless lives of the southern frontier. It is no matter for jest.”

The broken wine-gourd lamp chuckled and did not take offense. “This junior brother just happens to be near the southern frontier. I could reach it in about ten years. I doubt any of the senior brothers are more suited to this task than I am.”

As soon as this was said, silence fell over the hall.

After a long while, it was once again the lotus-leaf lamp that broke the silence. “Since none of us can reach the southern frontier in time, and since urgent matters may be handled by special means, let Junior Brother Three Smiles take care of this matter.”

“Understood!”

The gourd lamp answered with exaggerated seriousness.

Then the lotus-leaf lamp paused, and said sternly, “Junior Brother Three Smiles, this concerns the lives of countless beings in the southern frontier. You must restrain your nature. You absolutely cannot be careless.”

After the lotus-leaf lamp finished speaking, everyone waited for the gourd lamp’s reply. Yet after quite a while, not a single word came.

The black-robed daoist suddenly frowned and raised a hand to cast a seal.

At once, ripples spread through the air where the gourd lamp floated. Then the entire backdrop and sky seemed to peel away like a sheet of oil-coated paper, drifting softly down.

Behind that oil-paper veil, the true gourd lamp had already returned to the stone table in the jade pavilion, clearly severed from their connection.

Seeing this, the other four lamps in the air could not help but give bitter laughs. The scroll-shaped lamp was even more irritated, and spat, “What a lazy old daoist!”

The lotus-leaf lamp coughed once and said slowly, “Since matters have come to this, we can only trust Junior Brother Three Smiles. We each have our own important concerns. Let this meeting end here.”

As soon as he said this, the sword-shaped lamp was the first to descend back into its white jade pavilion. Seeing this, the remaining lamps also returned one after another to their own jade pavilions.

The vast mountain summit was quiet once more. All the lamps had returned to their places; only one still remained in the air, the oil-paper lantern, while the black-robed daoist had also not yet departed.

“Why does Junior Brother Hidden Mystery not leave? Could it be that you have something on your mind?” the oil-paper lantern asked.

The black-robed daoist did not answer. With both hands clasped behind his back, he merely gazed southward, worry etched deeply into his bearing.

“Junior Brother is worried about the southern frontier’s coming calamity? In truth, there is no need for concern. Although Junior Brother Three Smiles delights in roaming the mortal dust and is known as the Drunken Lamp That Plays With the World, when it comes to matters of true importance, he is exceedingly reliable. Moreover, the southern frontier is a barren place, poor in spiritual energy and limited in resources, with few who have reached profound cultivation. Even if unorthodox demons descend into the world, Junior Brother Three Smiles alone will be enough to deal with them.”

Yet after hearing this, the black-robed daoist’s worry did not lessen in the slightest. His expression remained grave and burdened. After a long while, he finally said slowly, “I fear it is not so simple...”

Then he raised his head to the sky again and sighed.

“When man enters demonhood, heaven and earth are overturned...”