Volume One: The Dragon Rises from the Wilds, Chapter Ninety-Six: Choice

A man stood on the cliff, clad in a Taoist robe with a token hanging at his waist, dressed like a disciple of the Immortal Sect, yet broad of shoulder and thick of waist, his face hidden beneath a bristling beard, his great eyes fierce with wariness.

There was no one around.

The man gave a subtle nod and muttered, "Come up."

From the grass below the cliff shot up a figure: a young man with a handsome face. Before he had even settled his footing, two more stout men sprang out behind him, likewise dressed as disciples of the Immortal Sect, glancing about with furtive, suspicious eyes.

"Senior Brother Zhong, the Scripture Cave is not far from here."

"Mm. Split up."

The four men, all in disguise, followed the herb-gatherers' path up to the summit, brushing the grass clippings from their bodies as they hurried away.

Zhong Jian and Yan Chi had both once been disciples of the Daoist Order and knew the affairs of Black Tortoise Mountain intimately. They led Tianbao and Renliang in separate directions. Fortunately, no mishap arose along the way. One after another, the four reached the Scripture Cave, hacked through the grass and thorny growth with blades and swords, and slipped inside.

Within the dim mountain cave, all manner of objects were piled high.

Tianbao stood guard at the entrance with a blade in hand, while Renliang found a torch and lit the place.

Meanwhile Zhong Jian and Yan Chi rummaged through the heaps of belongings. After a short while, each cried out in delight.

"Haha, several jars of lamp oil are completely intact!"

"Senior Brother, the Five Thunder Stones are the real prize. With them, our great undertaking can be accomplished!"

"Oh?"

"You did not study the arts of the Dao in those years, so you may not know. The Daoist Order has a self-created divine power called the Heavenly Thunder of the Nine Heavens. The Five Thunder Stones, refined from saltpeter, sulfur, and the like by secret Daoist methods, are the very key to that art. Their sound is like heavenly thunder, their force astonishing; they can blast living men to powder and even split mountains and shatter stone."

"Are they easy to use?"

"Just ignite the fuse with a lamp wick. If lamp oil is added, their power grows even greater, though one must flee in time to avoid suffering an undeserved calamity. Look here."

Yan Chi explained the use and prohibitions of the Five Thunder Stones, then added, "There are still dozens of them. Today the guards on the mountain are lax, and the underground palace of the Black Tortoise Pavilion is unknown to outsiders. We shall do it like this, then like that..."

In a wooden chest lay several dozen round black stones, each the size of a fist, all wrapped in oilcloth. These were the Five Thunder Stones Yan Chi had spoken of. He placed them into several earthen jars, then tore cloth strips, soaked them in lamp oil to make wicks, and tied them together with the jars of oil.

Zhong Jian found wooden poles, and with Tianbao carried out two jars of lamp oil and two jars of Five Thunder Stones. He did not look back, only called over his shoulder, "Do not miss the hour. Remember that!"

"Rest assured, Brother Zhong. We will meet below the mountain!"

Yan Chi tied together all the remaining lamp oil and Five Thunder Stones, while Renliang fretted anxiously.

"With such a pile of things, if we are seen, won't we give ourselves away..."

"What's to fear? Say it's lamp oil for use on the mountain."

"The Thunder Stones..."

"Charcoal!"

"This..."

"If you keep delaying and miss the hour, your third brother will not let you off!"

"Mm, mm!"

...

Black Tortoise Pavilion.

The broad stone terrace before Black Tortoise Pavilion was spacious enough, yet at this moment it had become crowded.

Six or seven hundred people were packed within the stone railings. They looked less like guests attending a ceremony than lambs awaiting the butcher.

Yet no one complained, or rather, no one had the strength to complain.

Two days of hunger, followed by an early ascent up the mountain, had already left them exhausted. Moreover, facing more than ten cultivators and over a hundred disciples of the Immortal Sect with bare hands robbed them of any thought of resistance.

When the crowd inched restlessly, another cry rose from within the gathering, and the whole place stirred.

"An auspicious hour has arrived!"

The main gate of Black Tortoise Pavilion opened slowly, and two people emerged: Nan Shan and Bo Yi.

On the stone steps before the gate, Tao Feng and the others rose to salute according to the rules of the Daoist Order.

The many martial men paid no heed to ceremony. They simply sat on the ground and watched.

Seeing Nan Shan and Bo Yi, Yu Ye secretly let out a breath. Though he feared the great cultivators of the Foundation Establishment realm, he feared even more those who lurked in the shadows. Yet the other two Foundation Establishment cultivators were still nowhere to be seen.

"Ha ha!"

Nan Shan smiled and nodded to the crowd, then stood high on the stone steps and swept his gaze around before proclaiming loudly, "Heaven and earth bear witness: today, the Immortal Sect of Black Tortoise Mountain is founded. Nan Shan, lacking in talent, takes the humble role of first sect master. Fellow Daoists Bo Yi and the three others are elders of the sect. Beneath the sect are thirteen hall masters, thirty-two disciples, and more than nine hundred lay disciples from the martial world."

"Wait!"

Tao Feng exchanged glances with those beside him and cried anxiously, "We came only to witness the ceremony. How have we become disciples overnight..."

"Bold!"

Before he had finished, a rebuke rang out.

"Those beneath speak to those above with respect. Address him as Sect Master!"

Bo Yi stepped forward and fixed Tao Feng with a hard glare.

Tao Feng only felt an inexplicable majesty descend upon him, instantly chilling him to the bone. He stumbled down the stone steps and nearly fell flat on his face. His expression changed drastically as he struggled to say, "Sect Master..."

His companions were all stunned.

They had thought the Immortal Sect's founding would involve some proper ceremony: worshipping heaven and earth, offering the three sacrificial animals, even burning three sticks of incense to report the matter to the gods and go through the motions. Who would have imagined that nothing of the sort would happen? A single declaration announced the sect's founding, and then everyone was counted as a disciple.

"Ha ha!"

Nan Shan smiled faintly and waved to Bo Yi. "In future, see that they are better instructed. Once they understand the rules, that will suffice..."

"No!"

The Daoist disciples of the Great Marsh were forced into silence, but the terrace erupted in uproar.

"We're crude men. We can't abide Immortal Sect rules..."

"We came to watch the ceremony, so why are you forcing us to join?"

"Damn it, we're starving here. How did that make us disciples of the Immortal Sect?"

"I don't want this either!"

"To hell with it, whoever wants it can have it. Brothers, let's go home!"

The six or seven hundred people from all parts of the Great Marsh were all proud, unruly men. They had endured in silence before only because of the situation and because they were still watching and waiting. Who would have thought the people from Black Tortoise Mountain would again break their word? With someone already taking the lead in resistance, it was like pouring oil on a fire; the place exploded at once.

As the shouting rose, twenty or thirty men had already leaped to their feet.

Nan Shan remained calm and unhurried, smiling as he said, "The Immortal Sect values fate. Since some wish to leave, by all means, go."

Hearing this, several men stepped down from the terrace and actually left without obstruction. Soon after, more than twenty others followed their example and also crossed the stone railing to depart.

More martial men in the crowd stood up.

Zhong Quan and Zhong Yi could no longer bear it, but Yu Ye stopped them with a glance.

At that very moment, the change came.

The twenty or thirty men had only gone a little more than thirty paces when they were suddenly blocked by a group of Immortal Sect disciples. More disciples then surged forward, brandishing blades and swords in a frenzy of slaughter. The martial men had no weapons and were already weak from exhaustion; they could not withstand the assault at all. Flesh and blood flew everywhere, and screams rang out without end.

The crowd on the terrace was horrified and surged to its feet. Before anyone could flee the danger, a blinding radiance erupted. In the blink of an eye, the entire terrace and Black Tortoise Pavilion were shrouded beneath a sheet of white light. One man, not knowing the danger, charged straight into it and was instantly sent flying back with a crash, collapsing to the ground in a pool of blood from nose and mouth, already unconscious.

At the same time, a thunderous command rang above everyone's heads.

"Those who defy us shall be killed without mercy!"

The chaos fell abruptly silent.

What did defiance mean? Betrayal of the Immortal Sect. And why speak of betrayal? If you are forcibly taken in as disciples, submit and all is well; otherwise, you are deemed traitors and killed without mercy.

Such tyranny and arrogance had no equal; such ruthlessness and mercilessness knew no limit.

Beneath the white light, six or seven hundred people trembled in terror. Tao Feng and the Daoist disciples of the Great Marsh stood in misery and dread, not daring to speak. Only Nan Shan remained atop the high stone steps, looking down with contempt, a smile at the corner of his mouth, his expression so triumphant it was as though he ruled the world.

"There is a saying among common folk: if you refuse the toast, you must drink the forfeit."

Nan Shan spoke lightly, then said in an even colder tone, "All disciples, hear my order. Step forward one by one, announce your names, and kneel to pay respect to the Sect Master, thereby swearing your loyalty. Those who refuse shall be killed without mercy."

Again that fatal phrase: killed without mercy.

And this so-called paying respect to the Sect Master meant kneeling to strike one's head to the ground, performing the full disciple's obeisance; this was no small matter.

With a sweep of his sleeve, Nan Shan said in no uncertain terms, "The thirty-two disciples of the Great Marsh shall kneel first. Let Tao Feng lead them. Kneel."

Tao Feng stood at the foot of the stone steps. Once free and unrestrained, proud and self-assured, he now had a flushed face and bulging eyes.

Nan Shan was actually forcing him to kneel and submit. It was an utter humiliation.

And if he did not kneel, he would surely die.

If he knelt, he might live, but the entire Daoist Order of the Great Marsh would fall with him, and he would bring disgrace upon them all. Should he stand and die, or kneel and live...

His companions were likewise shocked and furious, yet could only fall silent in despair. Faced with life and death, with honor and shame, the choice was truly impossible.

The many martial men stood frozen in place, each with a different expression.

Though the martial world was not without treacherous and despicable people, there were also many who valued reputation and integrity. Whether to live or die was no easier a choice.

Yu Ye, among the crowd, remained outwardly calm, though his heart grew steadily heavier.

Nan Shan's cunning and venomous methods far exceeded anyone he had ever known. With his present abilities, he had no way to deal with such a formidable enemy. What was more, he was now trapped within a formation, surrounded on all sides. Perhaps he, Yu Ye, could not escape the choice between life and death either.

However, until the final moment arrived, he never troubled himself over life and death. What he was watching was the formation, Bo Yi, and the other two Foundation Establishment cultivators who had yet to appear.

Of course, the ones he cared about most were Zhong Jian, Yan Chi, and the two brothers Tianbao and Renliang.

The situation was now critical, the crisis imminent. Why had there still been no movement?

Could it be that Yan Chi had forgotten the hour, or that something had gone wrong with Zhong Jian...

"Kneel!"

Nan Shan shouted again. Under the pressure of his authority, it was like a boulder pressing down from above. Tao Feng's legs trembled, sweat pouring from his forehead. Yet he still glared with wide eyes, refusing to kneel, and roared with his head held high, "A man may be killed, but he cannot be insulted—"

Before his shout had even faded, thunder suddenly rolled.

"Boom..."