Chapter Six: Devouring the Earth (Part One)

The Zhou Emperor Ao Pan was confined to the Zhou capital and could not leave, while Bu Jingxian was unable to enter. Yet after the ceasefire, many Black Wolf Tribe clans resumed trading in the Zhou capital, and Ao Pan managed to send letters through intermediaries. Ao Pan was quite shrewd; when he first disguised himself as a woman to sneak into the city, he learned of the secret passage into the imperial palace through the royal family. Before entering, he posted numerous proclamations throughout the city announcing the crown prince’s return to reclaim the throne, causing an uproar—everyone knew of it.

Thus, after he entered the palace, the Zheng army dared not kill him; the King of Zheng did not wish to bear the stigma, so he allowed Ao Pan to live. Initially, they had blocked his accession, but due to the war, the King of Zheng tacitly permitted Ao Pan to ascend the throne, using him as leverage for peace and recuperation. Ao Pan thus seized the opportunity granted by the times; otherwise, becoming emperor would not have been so easy.

Although Ao Pan had ascended the throne, he had no one trustworthy at his side, only spies watching his every move. His material needs were met, but his imperial status was merely nominal—almost no one in the Zhou capital viewed him as the true emperor. In his letters, he poured out his grievances, imploring Bu Jingxian for help and liberation.

Bu Jingxian replied with words of comfort; he knew Ao Pan and the Zhou capital would play a crucial role sooner or later. He speculated that Da Luo Bi would likely target the Zhou capital as a means to avenge past humiliations and restore its prestige. The Black Wolf Tribe's position was blocked by Zheng and Han on the road to other great powers. The northwest still had many clans, but their scale was too small to revive the prestige of Da Luo Bi. Either they shamelessly attack their ally Han, or they must take the Zhou capital, which would mean defeating the Zheng army and the emperor himself.

But such decisions were not Bu Jingxian’s to make; he could not represent the Black Wolf Tribe, nor could he move against the Zhou capital at this time.

After more than a year of reconstruction, Northern Shadow City had been completely transformed.

The streets were paved with blue stone, most houses had been repaired and were now inhabited. The Black Wolf Tribe clans were unaccustomed to such urban dwellings, and Bu Jingxian did not force them to relocate into the city. Instead, he allowed slave laborers to settle there, selecting the obedient and capable among them to learn various trades. Now, all shops and inns within the city belonged to the Twilight Clan, managed exclusively by slaves.

The number of clans coming to purchase weapons and supplies increased, and some even began to change their ways, moving into the city. These were promising developments; the prosperity of Northern Shadow City depended on such changes.

A year of conquests had cemented Bu Jingxian’s unassailable, transcendent status as Luo Bi. With each clan subdued, he employed decisive, forceful methods, establishing himself as absolute ruler over them. Those who refused submission were either killed or enslaved. This resulted in numerous battles, turning potentially allied clans into slaves or wiping them out entirely.

The outcome, however, was absolute obedience from all clans under the control of the Twilight Clan.

The mansion in Northern Shadow City was designed by the members of the Twilight Sect. Bu Jingxian had no particular requirements, but Bai Yue was very demanding, arranging all matters with Bai Xing. The mansion was built in the style of Chen Kingdom’s Golden Light City, grand in spirit, though limited in luxury by available resources.

On the day the mansion was completed, Bai Yue and her sister led the Twilight Sect members on a tour around the city. They were all elated; after enduring so long in this wild land, life was finally changing. Bai Xing no longer despised the city for its former reputation as a ghost town.

Within the Black Wolf Tribe clans, master-disciple relationships were not as clearly defined as among the seven great powers; often, masters and disciples became friends, even swapping roles. The attitude toward a master was merely polite; during festivals, gifts of fat sheep and beef were customary. There was no tradition requiring disciples to obey their masters.

This brought Bai Yue considerable trouble in taking disciples. She was uncompromising on this matter, even killing many for it. This discouraged many from seeking apprenticeship, but those who did now understood the rules. Bu Jingxian fully supported her approach. Nowadays, the Twilight Sect only taught the Dusk and Twilight Arts to those with innate spirit talent; all others trained in the Soul Arts.

Bai Yue remained the sect leader. Since she was now Bu Jingxian’s wife, she no longer needed to call him master. However, Bu Jingxian had clearly stated the North Spirit Mountain rules to the sisters; Bai Yue had struggled to accept them, arguing and even blaming him for her predicament, refusing to let the Twilight Sect become subservient to his will.

Bu Jingxian, however, was unwavering, promising that he would one day make amends for past wrongs, but the Soul Sect rules were inviolable.

Bai Xing felt Bai Yue’s resistance was unnecessary. In her heart, she thought it made no difference who obeyed whom, and since Bu Jingxian was a man, it was only natural for women to yield. She tried to persuade Bai Yue, and when the latter’s protest failed, she finally submitted to Bu Jingxian. Bu Jingxian knew Bai Yue was proud and ambitious. In truth, she never disobeyed him on important matters, and he tried not to interfere with sect affairs.

To outsiders, Bai Yue was the undisputed sole sect leader. This gradually eased her dissatisfaction, and she no longer quarreled with him.

Though Bai Yue was the sect leader, disciples practicing the Soul Arts had to perform Soul Sect blessings daily, which felt awkward to many.

During the blessings, large numbers of Soul Arts disciples knelt in the Blessing Hall of Northern Shadow City. Bu Jingxian stood at the center, with Bai Yue and Bai Xing flanking him. Bu Jingxian spoke a phrase, and the others repeated after him.

“We bear the shame of our tribe, and mourn deeply for those of the Soul Will tribe who died resisting invasion…”

“We bear the shame of our tribe, and mourn deeply…” Bai Xing intoned, peeking open an eye. She saw Bu Jingxian, as always, with eyes closed and a solemn expression, and quickly shut her own eye for fear of being caught.

“No matter how the world changes, we have never forgotten that land which truly belongs to us, the land of freedom… We have not forgotten that we live in a hell created by invaders to imprison us… We hope more fallen souls among our tribe will awaken, reclaim the will of the Soul Clan, and pursue the equality and freedom granted by the power of the soul… Our hearts have never wavered, our souls have never fallen… We live each day to awaken the fallen souls, and steadfastly believe that one day the power of the Soul Will shall shine upon the earth, cleanse the fallen, and lead us back to that land sheltered by the Soul Will, a land of equality and freedom…”

When Bu Jingxian finished, everyone raised their palms to their foreheads, bowed slowly, pressed the backs of their hands to the ground, remained silent for a moment, then rose one by one.

Bai Yue and Bai Xing walked out of the Blessing Hall together. Bai Yue noticed many of those exiting were quietly laughing and chatting, showing not a trace of solemnity as they left the sacred site. She sighed and whispered to Bai Xing, “Did you feel the power of Soul Will?”

Bai Xing glanced back, saw Bu Jingxian had already gone off on his own, and shook her head with a smile.

“Did you feel it, sister?”

“How could I feel something that doesn’t exist? It’s so tedious, having to come here for blessings every day. It feels like going mad. Worst of all, my husband is so earnest about it—I can’t stand listening to him recount the Soul Clan’s past. It’s so illusory, like mad ramblings, nothing like his usual wisdom!”

Bai Xing clung to her arm and said playfully, “Alright! I know you can’t stand it. Honestly, I find it boring too. But husband takes it so seriously—just endure fifteen minutes a day. It’s not a big deal.”

“You still need to remind me? Enough, I don’t want to talk about the Immortal Soul anymore. Let’s hurry back and change.”

That day, news arrived of a major clan having already gone to war. Bu Jingxian summoned all the clans to assemble; fifty thousand cavalry lined up outside Northern Shadow City, filling the fields.