Mixed in the heavens, merits and virtues become immortals

Chapter 393 My Father Died Too

The human world.

Song.

"Your Majesty, this sudden ten-day earthquake has claimed countless lives, burned crops, cut off supplies, and a popular uprising is imminent!"

Grand Tutor Wen Zhong looked sorrowful.

King Zhou, with a bitter face, said, "This time, surely it's not me who has offended Heaven?"

Wen Zhongmo sighed, feeling that when the dynasty's fate was about to end, there was truly nothing that could be done by anyone.

The underworld.

The Hall of Yama, the King of Hell.

King Yama rubbed his face hard. The Jade Emperor had suddenly given him a burden, and it wasn't just any ordinary burden.

"Bring me the souls of the nine golden crows."

Yama, the King of Hell, said with a dark face, "He has caused such calamity in the human world and should fall into the eighteenth level of hell, never to be reincarnated. But he is the son of the Jade Emperor, so Yama, the King of Hell, must think about how to release him."

"King Yama, good news."

The judge rushed over and whispered, "We couldn't find their souls; they've probably been annihilated, both body and spirit."

This is indeed good news.

King Yama patted his chest, feeling relieved that he had gotten rid of a hot potato.

As for the Jade Emperor's son, who was annihilated both in body and spirit, Yama, the King of Hell, expressed deep sorrow.

"However, there is also bad news."

The judge said in a low voice.

Yama leaned in and heard the judge say, "This time, the ten suns that appeared out of nowhere were caused by Yao Ji. However, the Golden Crow Calamity did not burn Yao Ji to death, but it burned her husband to death."

King Yama immediately slammed his fist on the table and said, "Send him to the Heavenly Court immediately!"

During this Golden Crow Calamity, half of the people died, and every household wore mourning clothes. It's not surprising that Yang Tianyou, as a mortal, was scorched to death. However, Yama, the King of Hell, could not leave his soul in the underworld.

Did Yama, the King of Hell, know that the root cause of the ten suns appearing out of nowhere was that the Jade Emperor's Golden Crow son captured Yang Jian and Yang Jiao, and was beaten so badly by these two that he was helpless and thus gathered together to trigger the great formation?

The son of the Yang family is not to be trifled with either.

Heavenly Court, Jade Pool.

"It was Cihang Daoist of the Chan Sect who pleaded for the lives of all beings in the Three Realms, and that's why Gu Qing let me go."

The little golden crow, overwhelmed with grief, recounted the events before the Jade Emperor. Raising its head slightly to meet the somewhat distraught Jade Emperor's gaze, it said, "This time, the ten suns appeared out of nowhere, scorching half the people of the world, steaming rivers, burning crops, and causing widespread suffering. We are being hunted down, which is truly gratifying. But Jade Emperor, you have lost nine sons. Do you regret it?"

Among the Ten Golden Crows, Little Golden Crow was considered a kind-hearted good person. However, his formation caused harm to half of the people in the world and the death of nine of his brothers, which made Little Golden Crow feel grief and self-blame. He also believed that all of this was the fault of the Jade Emperor.

"God should be heartless."

The Jade Emperor was silent for a moment, then said, "Yuanshi Tianzun certainly knows how to play the good guy!"

Upon seeing this, the little golden crow stood up and said, "From now on, we will have no father-son relationship, only the distinction between ruler and subject. The Three Realms cannot be separated from the sun for a moment. Your humble servant must go and fulfill my duties."

The little golden crow bid farewell to the Jade Emperor and turned to head towards the Sun Palace.

The Jade Emperor sat silently, like a statue.

"Jade Emperor..."

King Yama stepped forward and told the story of Yang Tianyou, which immediately brought the Jade Emperor to life.

Yang Tianyou!
In the Jade Emperor's mind, this was the instigator of everything.

If you can't beat Gu Qing, you can at least beat me?

Mount Putuo, Luojia Cave.

This place is a sacred realm by the sea, rich in water vapor. But ever since the ten suns appeared in the sky, this place has been constantly emitting golden light, and the surrounding seawater has naturally boiled. The once lush bamboo forest and exquisite lotus pond have now been burned into a withered and yellow world.

Gu Qing sat cross-legged, reached out and took the jade bottle, and drank it all in a frenzy. Smoke billowed from his pores, which, combined with the surrounding heat, turned into wisps of rainbow light.

After absorbing nine golden crows, the Nine Returns Sun Scripture had reached the Nine Returns of Profound Skill. Gu Qing's entire body was completely reshaped, and he himself reached the peak of the Celestial Immortal realm. The nine suns circulated and vibrated within his body, causing Gu Qing to constantly radiate heat outwards.

"The next step is to [Gather Yang and Unite]."

Gu Qing pondered that once he had fully mastered his own power, he could try to experience the laws of the Golden Immortal.

"Calm down?"

Cihang Daoren, with his innate compassion, spoke gently.

This Cihang Daoist really looks like Dao Baifeng...

Gu Qing composed himself and nodded silently. He knew how powerful Cihang Daoist was and had no intention of overstepping his bounds. After bidding farewell to Cihang Daoist, he looked up at the sky. At that moment, his gaze merged with the sunlight, and all the things in the human world were within Gu Qing's eyes.

At Peach Mountain, Yao Ji was still bound by chains. At this moment, she was heartbroken and lay helplessly on the lotus platform.

In Chaoge City, King Zhou's wine pool has dried up, his meat forest has turned to ash, and people are frantically pounding on the table.

In Xiqi City, Ji Chang and Ji Fa were in distress when the immortals of the Chan Sect delivered food to them.

"..."

Gu Qing saw someone, stood up, and wanted to say goodbye to Cihang Daoren.

"Go."

Cihang Daoren came to dissuade Gu Qing on the orders of Yuanshi Tianzun, fearing that Gu Qing would be welded to death in the Sun Palace after swallowing the little golden crow.

Gu Qinghua left.

Cihang Daoren used his jade bottle to draw out water and sprinkled it on Mount Putuo. The withered trees on Mount Putuo were revived and the surrounding area was full of new life. Then Cihang Daoren burned incense and communicated with the Primordial Heavenly Venerable.

"With Gu Qing leading the vanguard, our Chan Sect will be invincible in this Investiture of the Gods war!"

Cihang Daoren said confidently.

The power that Gu Qing possessed, capable of swallowing the Jade Emperor's nine sons, had reached a terrifying level. With such power gathered together, who in the Jie Sect could withstand it?

"Gu Qing will not get involved."

Yuanshi Tianzun directly denied it.

……

The human world.

A person dressed entirely in black, with a limp, who was fighting with a dog for food, suddenly looked up, saw Gu Qing beside him, and his face lit up with joy. He moved closer to Gu Qing's leg and said, "Great! Great! It's you! Tell me, where is my master?"

This was none other than the Howling Celestial Dog. When Yang Jian split open Peach Mountain and fought against the Golden Crow Prince, the Howling Celestial Dog was dragged down and its leg was broken. At this moment, it was truly a stray dog, searching for Yang Jian's whereabouts.

"I just don't understand."

Gu Qing glanced sideways at Xiaotianquan's leg and said, "Even with a broken leg, Seven can still unleash his telekinesis. You've only broken a leg, and you can't even use your magic or your nose anymore?"

Gu Qing suspected that the Howling Celestial Dog was playing the victim.

The celestial dog chuckled and stuck out its tongue.

Extending a hand, Gu Qing emitted golden light, and Xiaotianquan's severed leg quickly healed. In the blink of an eye, Xiaotianquan was jumping and hopping around beside Gu Qing.

"Woof woof, woof woof."

The Celestial Hound barked twice in gratitude, then cast a spell, shouting "Boundless Heaven and Earth, Tracking for Ten Thousand Miles," and began searching for Yang Jian's whereabouts throughout the Three Realms.

“So there it is!”

A moment later, the Celestial Hound determined its location and took off running towards Mount Hua.

Gu Qing raised his head, looked at the sky, and transformed into a rainbow of light, passing over the cloud path of the Howling Celestial Dog, and arrived at Mount Hua ahead of everyone else.

White banners fluttered everywhere in Mount Hua. The people, having endured a calamity, naturally sought the help of the gods, and the people of Mount Hua headed towards Nezha's palace.

"We just hope that Prince Nezha can protect us."

What ordinary people want is nothing more than to have enough to eat and wear, and to live a good life.

"Prince Nezha?"

Among the disaster victims was a middle-aged couple. When the man heard about Prince Nezha, his expression changed. He subtly inquired about the prince from the people next to him. When everything matched up, Li Jing flew into a rage and said, "This little beast has broken the heavenly rules and actually wants to be resurrected in secret?"

Li Jing immediately grabbed his weapon and went to destroy Nezha's body.

"Master, please spare Nezha."

Madam Li clung to Li Jing's leg and pleaded.

"If I let him go, will God let me go?"

Li Jing was not alone; he had the people of Chentang Pass on his shoulders. So he picked up his golden mace and headed towards Nezha's palace. As expected, he saw that Nezha was enshrined in the temple. Without saying a word, he was about to destroy Nezha's statue.

“Father, I have repented.”

Nezha said to Li Jing in a kind voice, "For the past three years, I have been accumulating good deeds and doing good deeds."

"No matter what you say, all you really want is to be resurrected!"

Li Jing said coldly, "I have studied under the Daoist master Du'e of West Kunlun and know a great deal about Daoist arts. Your petty tricks cannot fool me!" As he spoke, Li Jing threw the golden mace in his hand, which hit the statue of Nezha squarely. In an instant, Nezha's body was destroyed and the statue turned to dust.

Li Jing stared blankly at all of this, sighed, and walked out of Nezha's palace.

Not long after he left, Nezha's palace suddenly dissipated into smoke, and everything around it turned into wasteland.

Four people appeared in the arena: Gu Qing, Yang Jian, Yang Jiao, and Yang Chan.

"Thank you, Master Gu."

Yang Jian sincerely apologized to Gu Qing.

Whether it was the Golden Crow incident or the current situation, even with his Heavenly Eye, Yang Jian couldn't grasp the situation. On the contrary, Gu Qing took on all of it.

"It's just a matter of using some kind of illusion technique."

Gu Qing waved his hand, not taking it to heart.

When Gu Qing was cultivating the Dao Heart Demon Seed Technique, he was already able to use his spiritual power to influence other people's judgment and cause them to have hallucinations. Now, Gu Qing's magical power is a thousand times, ten thousand times stronger than it was then. Therefore, he used the "Nine Returns to the Sun Scripture" to project Nezha's palace here, and used his primordial spirit to influence Li Jing's judgment, making Li Jing think that he had broken into the palace.

"It's good that Nezha is alright."

Gu Qing and Yang Chan walked side by side and stepped out, arriving in front of Nezha's palace. The people there were praying, and as Gu Qing and Yang Chan entered, Nezha's spirit appeared.

"Li Jing is truly outstanding!"

Nezha said coldly.

"This father is too cruel."

At this moment, Xiaotianquan also arrived outside Nezha's palace. With his superb hearing, he roughly figured out what was going on and couldn't help but feel indignant on Nezha's behalf, saying, "What father would kill his son? Fortunately, my father is already dead!"

The roaring dog is outspoken and quick-hearted.

However, Yang Jian, Yang Jiao, and even Yang Chan who came in later were all stabbed by a sword, and their faces all turned ugly.

After returning from Taoshan, Yang Jian learned that his father, Yang Tianyou, had died from sunburn, and he was naturally filled with pain, helplessness, and self-blame.

"Master, what's wrong with you?"

The Celestial Hound approached Yang Jian and asked earnestly.

"..."

Yang Jian fell silent for a moment, then said sorrowfully, "My father is dead too!"

Yang Jian compared his father to Li Jing in his mind, and felt that his father was much better than Li Jing, but unfortunately his father died from the sun.

"I failed to protect my father."

Overwhelmed with grief, Yang Chan sobbed as she spoke. Upon seeing this, Gu Qing quickly reached out and pulled Yang Chan close to his chest. Yang Chan recounted how, when the ten suns appeared out of nowhere, she desperately channeled her magic to protect them, but Yang Tianyou was burned and turned to ashes before her very eyes.

"If the corpses are all turned to ashes, then things will be difficult."

Gu Qing patted Yang Chan's shoulder and whispered.

"Master Gu, is there still a chance?"

Yang Jian understood the implication and immediately asked.

Yang Chan, who was in Gu Qing's arms, immediately looked up and realized that she had unknowingly entered Gu Qing's embrace. She quickly took two steps back, looked at Gu Qing with eager eyes, and asked for instructions.

"Didn't the Nezha brothers also die?"

Gu Qing calmly said, "But he has a physical body, and after receiving incense offerings for three years, he still has a chance to be reborn."

Yang Chan nodded. She had handled everything for Nezha, and she knew the situation best.

"What should we do if my father has no body?"

Yang Jian asked.

Yang Jiao also quickly grabbed Gu Qingyi's sleeve.

"There's a way!"

Gu Qing nodded and said, "This method requires your father's soul. As long as your father's soul is still there, take the soul to the Golden Light Cave on Qianyuan Mountain and have Taiyi Zhenren make a lotus body for your father. It will work the same way."

In the prequel to the story of the Lotus Lantern, due to Gu Qing's involvement, Yang Jian was less surrounded by the Heavenly Court in the mortal realm, allowing him to learn his skills earlier and return to Mount Hua earlier as well. Therefore, the order in which the Ten Golden Crows and Li Jing destroyed Nezha's body was reversed.

Now that Gu Qing has protected Nezha's physical body, he has also instructed Yang Jian on the matter of the lotus incarnation.

"Gu Qing, thank you!"

Yang Chan gazed at Gu Qing with her beautiful eyes, a faint smile on her face.

Only after experiencing despair do we realize how precious hope is.

"Thank you too!"

Nezha said.

Gu Qing looked up at Nezha. After communicating with Taiyi Zhenren in the Golden Light Cave of Qianyuan Mountain, Gu Qing knew that the most important thing for Nezha to achieve the Lotus Body was to fight against several people who had injured his soul on the way to the conquest of Zhou. Now that Gu Qing had rescued Nezha, the Chan Sect would have to find another way.

"Then let's act immediately!"

Yang Jiao and Yang Jian said, "Let's go to the underworld and retrieve Father's soul!"

Yang Chan smiled faintly and said, "I'll be at Mount Hua, waiting for your good news." Nezha still needs to protect her and cannot be left alone.

Yang Jian and Yang Jiao bid farewell to Yang Chan, then transformed into a streak of light and headed towards the Gates of Hell.

Gu Qing raised his head and looked up at the sky once again. At this moment, Gu Qing's gaze pierced through the layers of clouds and met the eyes of the fairy Chang'e in the moon palace.

Why are you so sorrowful?

Gu Qing's divine thoughts were transmitted to the Moon Palace.

Upon hearing this, Chang'e, who was in the Moon Palace, trembled slightly and softly said, "Just now, the Jade Emperor personally dispersed Yang Tianyou's soul. I grieve for Yao Ji..."

"..."

Gu Qing silently withdrew her gaze and looked at the smiling Third Holy Mother Yang Chan in front of her. Her breath hitched slightly, and she didn't know how to begin.

Forget it... I'd better not do things like announcing a death.

Let Yang Jian discover it himself.

(End of this chapter)