“Gods have dreams, sacrifice to them with dance; the living are paper cutouts, all beings are art.1

“The skilled please gods, and are blessed forever; the unskilled are hated by the gods, and are destroyed eternally.”2

That was the sacrificial dance.0

As the old man in the twin peaks was destroyed via backlash, he faded from existence along with all of the failed dancing butterflies. After eating their fill of his flesh, they merged back into heaven and earth, leaving behind no trace of their existence. As a result, all living beings were able to see clearly again.0

That said, to the beings in the Unfinished Mountains, being awake... wasn’t necessarily a blessing. Those for whom no special arrangements were made ended up extremely confused. The confusion started in the cities in the foothills, and spread rapidly from there. Mortals and cultivators alike suddenly regained clarity, and then looked around silently.1

Husbands and wives. Friends. Loved ones. Masters and apprentices. In many cases, mixed emotions replaced the confusion on their faces as they struggled to reconcile the mix of familiarity and unfamiliarity....3