The King of Yin remained silent. He stood up and said, "Please follow me," then slowly ascended towards the top floor of the Star-Gazing Tower.
Mo Qi and Long Qi followed him, drawn by an unseen force towards the summit.
Daji remained bound, forgotten in her predicament.
Upon reaching the top floor, a fierce wind whipped around them, causing the Star-Gazing Tower to sway precariously, as if on the verge of collapse.
As beings of divine essence, Mo Qi and Long Qi felt no fear, yet it was peculiar that the King of Yin walked with such steady composure.
Looking up, the sky was ablaze with stars, so close it seemed one could reach out and touch them. Perhaps this was the origin of the tower's name.
Long Qi and Mo Qi were lost in the celestial spectacle, utterly captivated.
The King of Yin, however, pointed in a specific direction. "Look that way."
Mo Qi followed his gaze. In the distant night sky, amidst the vast expanse of stars, a pocket of space stood starkly apart from its surroundings. Shrouded in mist, it flickered in and out of visibility, ethereal and dreamlike. A castle floated within the haze, its pavilions and towers, carved beams and painted rafters, resembling a palace in a realm of immortals. Its grandeur, its sheer magnificence, was utterly beyond mortal comprehension.
Mo Qi was awestruck by the sight. "What is that place? The Heavenly Palace?"
The King of Yin shook his head. "No, that is the world beyond the heavens."
"A world beyond the heavens?" Mo Qi and Long Qi exclaimed in unison.
The King of Yin, with words that struck like thunder, fixed his gaze on the small axe in Mo Qi's hand. "This axe is called the Sky-Opening Axe. A powerful being can restore it to its original form and use it to cleave open this space, entering that world beyond the heavens."
Mo Qi turned the axe over and over. "This thing can open the heavens? I doubt it could even split firewood."
The King of Yin cast him a disdainful glance. "If it were in the past, your clumsy display would have earned you a beheading. Did I not just say a powerful being must restore it to its original form before it can be used? Were you even listening to me?"
Mo Qi's lips twitched. "Your humble servant is dull-witted. Your Majesty, spare my life."
Long Qi covered her mouth and let out a soft giggle.
The King of Yin shot Mo Qi a glare and continued, "Legend has it that this axe was fished from a river by Yu the Great during his flood control efforts and was kept in the Xia Palace, passed down through generations. It wasn't until my great-grandfather conquered Xia that he discovered it within the Xia Palace, and it has been passed down through the Yin Dynasty ever since."
"I never knew what this thing was until one day, an old man suddenly appeared before me. I don't know if it was a dream or reality, it felt very real, yet the person was ethereal. He stood before me and told me he was the great-grandfather of the Yin family, and that this axe was called the Sky-Opening Axe. He warned that I lacked the ability to preserve it and should discard it as soon as possible, lest it bring about my own demise."
"After the old man left, I dismissed it as a dream and paid it no mind, leaving the axe untouched in the palace. It wasn't until I went to the Nuwa Palace to offer incense that year, and saw the statue of Nuwa and the mural depicting Nuwa mending the heavens with stones, that a thought struck me. I said, 'I have the Sky-Opening Axe, which can open the heavens. Next time I cleave open the world, I will let you mend it again. If you cannot mend it, what will become of this world?'"
"Perhaps the seeds of disaster were sown from that moment. Later, I sensed someone infiltrating the palace attempting to steal this item, so I moved it to a secure location. Following that, I felt my dynasty steadily marching towards its demise. On the other hand, driven by curiosity, I began to construct the Star-Gazing Tower, referencing the esoteric arts of Qimen Dunjia found in the palace archives. The construction of the Star-Gazing Tower was, in essence, a validation of my understanding of this world."
"Through this validation, I discovered that there exists a vaster world beyond the heavens. Cleaving open this world does not mean the annihilation of all things. Therefore, when Buzhou Mountain collapsed, and the gods rebuilt it, and Nuwa mended the heavens with stones, it was all rather superfluous."
Mo Qi and Long Qi were stunned into silence!
This was indeed a mad notion!
Did destroying this world mean annihilation or rebirth?
This idea was not only insane but rebellious!
The great achievements lauded for millennia were dismissed as insignificant by him.
The King of Yin continued, his voice slow and measured. "In fact, I have another bold hypothesis: that a mortal wielding this Sky-Opening Axe could also restore Buzhou Mountain to its original state. Without any great divine powers or mighty beings, anyone could fell Buzhou Mountain. It's a shame I cannot reach Buzhou Mountain myself..."
Long Qi could not help but interrupt. "You, a mere mortal emperor, instead of diligently governing your people and stabilizing your kingdom, spend your days contemplating these bizarre matters. If you don't perish, who will?"
The King of Yin glanced at Long Qi, his eyes gleaming. "My dear, if you had come to remind me sooner, I would not have been misled by Daji, nor would I have stumbled and fallen step by step into this abyss."
Long Qi glared at him with disgust. "Get lost!"
She then turned to Mo Qi. "I want to gouge his eyes out."
Mo Qi shook his head. "Towards beauty, his current attitude is not excessive; it is the admiration of a gentleman. I suspect that in the past, he would have acted already. However, the decision is yours. If you must gouge his eyes out, I have no objections."
While Long Qi hesitated, Mo Qi put away the Sky-Opening Axe.
The King of Yin watched, a faint smile playing on his lips. "I didn't say I was giving it to you."
Mo Qi chuckled. "Possession of treasure brings guilt. This hot potato, my keeping it for you is your good fortune. Keeping it in your hands truly invites disaster, and you are about to lose everything anyway; you wouldn't be able to hold onto this thing. If you give it to me, perhaps you might even be granted a divine title. If you insist on holding onto it, it will likely end in utter ruin, leaving you with nothing."
The King of Yin sighed. "In truth, I intended to give it to you when I handed it over. I see the divine aura about you; you are no ordinary mortal. Perhaps in the future, when you reach Buzhou Mountain, you can attempt to see if you can fell it."
"Why trust me so much?" Mo Qi felt a surge of surprise.
"It's not about trust. It's about desperation. At this moment, I wish to dispose of it, and you happened to arrive here asking about it. Or perhaps, it is a matter of destiny," the King of Yin said.
"You seem to have come to terms with things," Mo Qi remarked, observing his serene and eloquent demeanor.
The King of Yin chuckled. "I don't know why, but my mood has suddenly become much lighter. Perhaps it's the relief of shedding a troublesome burden. Or perhaps a certain inexplicable sense of mission has vanished. The remaining matters are now in your hands."
Damn it, Mo Qi suddenly felt a thousand-pound weight pressing down on his heart.
Mo Qi snorted. "Don't provoke me. I'll just treat it as a magical artifact and have nothing to do with anything else."
Just then, the sky changed dramatically. The myriad stars vanished into the clouds in an instant.
A figure appeared in mid-air, clad in snow-white robes, with a face of ethereal beauty.
The King of Yin recognized her immediately and said with a mocking tone, "The Goddess Nuwa has arrived. This lonely king has failed to greet you properly. I beg your forgiveness. The noble Goddess Nuwa descends from the heavenly realm to the mortal world. Has she come to see if I am dead?"
Upon hearing it was Goddess Nuwa, Long Qi knelt on the ground with great reverence, bowing from afar.
Mo Qi, however, clutched the Sky-Opening Axe tightly. If the King of Yin spoke the truth, then Nuwa must have come for this axe.
Nuwa's piercing gaze fell upon the King of Yin with disdain. "Yin Shou, do you know your transgression?"
The King of Yin gave a wry smile. "Not entirely. Have I profaned the gods?"
Nuwa looked at the King of Yin, seeing his utterly unrepentant demeanor. She truly wished to strike him dead, but she restrained herself.
"You spread heretical doctrines, deceiving and misleading the masses, everywhere proclaiming the felling of Buzhou Mountain. Do you realize that if Buzhou Mountain falls, the rivers and mountains will be shattered, and how many lives will be lost in suffering?" Nuwa spoke with righteous indignation.
"Hmph," the King of Yin scoffed. "Excuses. You speak so nobly, but it is merely because you fear that once this world is shattered, the inhabitants of the Three Realms will escape your control as saints, no longer to be manipulated at your whim."
"I have no time for your nonsense," Nuwa narrowed her eyes, then suddenly opened them, looking at Mo Qi. "Hand over the Sky-Opening Axe to me."
"Why?" Mo Qi feigned surprise, pointing at the King of Yin. "He gave this to me. It is mine now. Do saints also snatch things?"
"Junior Brother!" Long Qi called out to Mo Qi.
Mo Qi, like a prickly thorn, poked at anyone he encountered. He had just offended Yu Bao Tian Zun and others, and still hadn't learned to restrain himself, now provoking Goddess Nuwa. If this continued, he would end up a corpse in the wilderness. Such a personality needed to be disciplined!
Nuwa patiently explained, "This Sky-Opening Axe did not originally belong to him, nor to the Xia Dynasty. It was lost to the mortal world after Pangu's demise. I, born of heaven and earth, inherit Pangu's will. In essence, this item belongs to me. I could have simply seized it without explanation, but I still hope you will understand righteousness and willingly give me the Sky-Opening Axe. If not, I will still resort to force."
Before Mo Qi could reply, Long Qi spoke. "Return it to her. You wouldn't dare use that thing anyway; it's just a magical artifact to you. You already possess enough magical artifacts; you don't lack this one. Things that can decide the fate of all beings should be held by those with sufficient ability to wield them. Our abilities are insufficient; holding onto it is merely a burden. Look at the King of Yin; he lost his entire kingdom for this item. It's truly a pity."
Mo Qi was slightly annoyed. "You don't think highly of me? In your eyes, am I not a great hero?"
Long Qi rolled her eyes.
Nuwa urged, "Have you decided?"
"No!" Mo Qi stated resolutely.
The King of Yin showed a look of gratified relief. "I truly did not misjudge you."
Nuwa's face fell with disappointment. "Then there is no other way. You have brought this upon yourself."
As she spoke, Nuwa pointed her hand, and a red light shot out, aimed at Mo Qi. Mo Qi, seeing its trajectory, like a fine red thread, swift as lightning, hastily deployed his Golden Light Shrinking Ground Technique to evade it.
The red light passed through the sky above the Star-Gazing Tower, without touching it at all.
However, the powerful airflow still caused the Star-Gazing Tower to tilt significantly to one side.
Long Qi leaped away from the Star-Gazing Tower.
The King of Yin, meanwhile, desperately gripped the tower's railing to avoid falling.
The design of the Star-Gazing Tower was such that it could sway with the wind without collapsing. Therefore, even though it had tilted to an extreme angle, the King of Yin showed no panic, merely holding tightly to the railing.