He Became Real

At the same time, within the Hall of Ten Thousand Spirits where the Great Yu’s Empress Chu Ge resided.

The palace walls of the Hall of Ten Thousand Spirits were carved with lifelike depictions of countless creatures. Even in the darkness, they needed no lanterns, as they drew upon the spiritual light from the "Rivers and Mountains Painting" to illuminate the palace.

A young man, led by the empress’s personal maid, stepped inside the palace walls.

The young man’s body was stiff, his movements resembling those of a lifeless puppet. A red mole adorned the center of his brow.

"Old friends need not stand on ceremony. A seat for him," Empress Chu Ge said casually, dismissing the maid with a wave.

"Your Majesty still remembers past ties. This humble one is overwhelmed," the young man stammered, kneeling awkwardly on the ground, not daring to rise.

Empress Chu Ge gazed at him, her voice soft yet chilling. "Now that you’ve draped yourself in human skin, are you so reluctant to tear it off?"

The young man stiffened at her words, his expression gradually turning cold. He smirked.

"Your Majesty has played her role in front of others for so many years—aren’t you just as fond of the act? This one was merely curious, but now finds it rather amusing."

"I did not summon you here to exchange such words," Empress Chu Ge replied, her beautiful yet lifeless face hardening.

Her coldness was not the coldness of cruelty, but more like a stone statue submerged in an abyss.

"Then is it to reminisce?" The young man could not suppress a trace of mockery. "Shall we recall how we returned from the Upper Realm, reshaping the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, slaughtering those so-called gods, each taking our roles—how I taught mankind to channel their blood and temper their bodies, how Yunmeng wove dreams and spun illusions?

Had we not discovered the Abyss, had we not realized that the power of all living beings could turn the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths into a vessel to ferry us to the other shore… perhaps you and I would still be as we once were?"

With each word he spoke, the aura around Empress Chu Ge grew darker, as if beneath her beautiful exterior lurked something monstrous, waiting to devour.

The young man’s gaze turned playful.

He wanted to see Chu Ge tear off that human facade, to become as foul and hideous as he was—to let the ugliness in her soul spill forth like an unstoppable flood.

But he was disappointed.

After a moment, Empress Chu Ge’s aura settled once more. She smiled, radiant as a blooming flower.

"This one does not know what you speak of."

"Tch. I forgot—you were always repulsive. Now you’ve become even more nauseating."

The young man’s venomous words rang hollow.

Losing patience, he asked, "Enough. Why did you summon me from the Sky Phoenix Domain?"

"Your body will soon break free from its seal and appear in the Sky Phoenix Domain. Go retrieve it yourself."

"Oh?" The young man narrowed his eyes, as if understanding something. "You’d rather return my body to me, unafraid I’ll flee… You want to keep that woman trapped in the Sky Phoenix Domain…"

As he spoke, he began to laugh.

"You fear her just as much as I do! Hahaha! How pathetic you all are!"

Empress Chu Ge’s expression finally darkened.

"Get out."

"Heh…"

The young man did not move.

"Chaos is coming to the Celestial City. Alone, she cannot stir the tides. Besides… even the 'Arbiter' stands with me. You have nothing to fear."

"If you must worry, worry instead about how I will settle accounts with you once I am free."

As he spoke, the young man’s body began to decay.

Until, at last, he crumbled into dust, scattered by the wind.

He knew of the farcical drill the Earth City had arranged. He also guessed what Li Mo intended.

And so, he decided to play along.

......

Within the Rivers and Mountains Painting, time flowed faster once more.

In the blink of an eye, the day of the drill arrived.

The Celestial and Earth Cities, thanks to Li Mo’s coordination, took the exercise seriously. They had already assembled in full force atop Earth City’s walls, their numbers rivaling even those of Jiang Yu’s grand campaign.

The atmosphere, however, was more relaxed. To the Celestial Clan and Earth City’s noble families, the threat of Mo City paled in comparison to natural disasters.

As long as they were fully prepared, there would be no issue.

Before long, a dark tide of figures appeared on the horizon.

"They brought this many people for a drill?" Lei Ze, standing atop the wall, asked hesitantly.

"Li Mo said his reputation in the Human City is strong enough to rally commoners to participate. He also convinced some of Mo City’s bounty hunters to defect to our side. Add in Earth City’s martial artists in the ranks, and it’s as close to a real Mo City rebellion as we can get."

"Pretty convincing."

"Honestly, if I didn’t know this was a drill, I’d think it was real."

The Celestial Clan members nodded in agreement. Li Mo truly was reliable.

"So, what’s the first drill?" Chun Mang asked eagerly. She found the whole thing rather fun.

"Li Mo said we’d start with the simplest scenario."

Pojun turned, preparing to return to the Celestial City.

"What’s the simplest?"

"Surrendering."

It made sense. After all, no one knew if Ying Bing would join this rebellion.

If she did, surrendering might be the wisest choice.

The Celestial Clan saw no issue with this and followed Pojun back to the Celestial City, leaving the Earth City’s martial artists to handle the scene.

"Attention all units, attention all units. The first drill is about to commence. Please open the gates and surrender in an orderly manner. Maintain discipline and take this seriously."

Lei Ze’s thunderous voice echoed through the clouds.

Honestly, Li Mo had often wondered why the Celestial Clan was so powerful.

They probably traded their wits for it.

Their lack of cunning could rival even Little Treasure Senior Brother’s. What were they even fighting for as emperors?

"Mo City is attacking!"

"Boss Bu, they’re coming in strong! We can’t hold them off!"

"Tell my wife I’ll always love her! I’ll fight these rebels to the death!"

"Ah! I’m dead!"

The Earth City’s martial defenders played their parts with gusto.

The competition for Best Supporting Actor at the Sky Phoenix Domain’s first Golden Statue Awards was fierce.

"......"

Li Mo watched their flawless performances and wondered if their acting had no technique—just pure, unfiltered emotion.

Maybe they had genuinely rehearsed in their hearts how they’d surrender when the time came.

Earth City’s martial artists were a special breed. Beating them to the punch before they surrendered was its own challenge.

Some fled in panic, some vowed to fight to the last man, swearing to defend the city to their dying breath.

A few particularly dedicated ones even procured Mo City bounty hunter uniforms from somewhere and changed on the spot.

Then they blended into the rebel ranks, charging into the city to "seize women."

Before doing so, they even apologized: "This is just part of the act, miss. Please don’t take it personally."

How damn polite.

In short, Earth City descended into chaos. The drill’s realism exceeded all expectations.

"Sigh… let’s head in."

Li Mo shook his head and prepared to ride through the gates.

Beside him, Dong Geyu suddenly draped a robe over his shoulders.

Li Mo: "?"

Looking down, he saw a blindingly yellow robe embroidered with dragons.

Wait, they hadn’t even "taken" the Celestial City yet.

Wasn’t this imperial robe a bit premature? And this was just a drill…

Oh.

Right.

This wasn’t a drill.

Young Li Mo belatedly realized he might have gotten too into character.

He was using the drill as cover for an actual rebellion.