Mythology

Chapter 370 I Also Want to Show My Power in Public

The morning mist, like gauze, lingered, and rows of ascetic monks walked through Jiepai Pass.

Their bare feet left faint marks on the stone slabs, which were quickly covered by the dew. The white cloth crackled in the wind, and the Buddha statue carved by the Taoist Ran Deng could be vaguely seen.

Yang He followed at the back of the group, his every move disguised as that of an ascetic monk.

Compared to his previous disarray when he broke into Jiepai Pass, this time he played a character with no cultivation, so naturally he did not attract the attention of the gate gods.

However, the heavenly tribulation continued to torment him.

"The aging process is accelerating, and I must find an opportunity to continue my seclusion."

Under normal circumstances, those who have reached the combined realm of cultivation and tribulation must concentrate fully on their practice, leaving them with less and less time to wander outside.

Yang He glanced down at his arm and noticed that his skin already had a light lividity.

Breaking through the bottleneck of the Tribulation Transcending Realm is not troublesome, but it is better to wait until you can no longer withstand the Heavenly Tribulation before considering it. After all, once you break through, you will inevitably be limited in many ways in the Ninth Realm.

Yang He secretly took a few pills, and the medicinal effects made the lividity disappear.

The elixir's effect is not to suppress the heavenly tribulation, but to preserve youth; it is purely a temporary fix, not a cure, while in reality, the internal organs have already begun to decline.

"Faming."

"Fa Ming! Fa... Yang He!!"

Yang He realized what was happening and glanced at the young monk beside him out of the corner of his eye.

The two had many interactions during their journey. The latter was named Fahui. In the eyes of the ascetic monk, their trip was to spread the Dharma and to welcome the Daoist Ran Deng to enlighten him into Buddhism.

Fa Hui gently reminded him, "Fa Ming, don't be distracted! Master is about to unveil the crown, and you and I might witness the arrival of the Burning Lamp Immortal!"

He couldn't suppress his joy, and his eyes were full of anticipation.

"kindness."

Yang He wanted to see what kind of tricks the Daoist Ran Deng was up to. Could it be that the old schemer was already eager to get involved in the Immortal Slaughtering Formation?
After the monks arrived at the busiest market, the elderly monk at the head of the group stopped and a kind smile spread across his wrinkled face.

He gently removed the white cloth from the Buddha statue, revealing the Buddha image.

The Buddha statue, made of an unknown material, appeared glassy in the sunlight, immediately attracting many onlookers.

clang.

The old monk struck his bronze alms bowl, the dull sound startling a few birds, while the other monks chanted obscure scriptures, the Sanskrit sounds flowing through the air.

Wherever they went, the vendors stopped what they were doing.

They cast wary glances at him, and even though the ascetic showed no malice, they all simultaneously put their money into the counter.

Yang He watched coldly. Not long ago, the old monk was still in the embryonic stage. It was said that he received a dream from an immortal and voluntarily abandoned his cultivation in order to enter Jiepai Pass.

The old monk's wrinkled face broke into a kind smile.

"Please do not be afraid, we are newcomers and have no ill intentions."

The surrounding crowd reacted sparsely.

The old monk clasped his hands together and began chanting scriptures. A commotion arose from the crowd, and a faint light emanated from the Buddha statue.

"Ah."

Yang He sneered a few times. Because evil spirits could not enter or leave Jiepai Pass, they could not use any tools. The Buddha statue was just a smokescreen. The monks had already quietly sprinkled some powder.

One woman couldn't help but ask, "What is the origin of the Immortal Lord?"

"This is the compassionate and merciful Dipankara deity. Offering sacrifices to him can protect your home and ensure peace. Furthermore, all candlelight in the world originates from Dipankara deity."

When Yang He heard the old monk emphasize the duties of the Burning Lamp Immortal, he immediately understood the Burning Lamp Daoist's plan and was very curious about what would happen.

The old monk gestured to his disciple to light incense, and a faint sandalwood fragrance filled the air.

The butcher behind the meat shop, wiping his greasy hands on his apron, mustered his courage and asked, "This... this monk, how much silver is needed to make offerings to the Burning Lamp Immortal?"

"Not a penny needed."

The old monk smiled and shook his head, taking out a yellowed scripture from his robes: "This is the Dharani Sutra for Curing All Diseases by the Immortal of the Burning Lamp. Just silently recite this sutra in your heart, and it will protect you."

He handed the scripture to the butcher, and suddenly a few crystalline fragments drifted down from between the pages, refracting a rainbow of colors in the sunlight.

The silk shop owner couldn't resist reaching out to catch it, but the crumbs turned into a wisp of smoke the moment they touched her palm.

The proprietress was so startled that she took two steps back, but then she heard chanting in her ears, and her migraine that had been bothering her for days was inexplicably relieved.

"This..." She stared blankly at the old monk, and couldn't help but believe it a little.

"The Immortal of the Burning Lamp is compassionate and does not discriminate based on social status."

The old monk clasped his hands in prayer and continued on his way.

As the procession passed, people kept peeking out of doors and windows.

Just as they were drawn in, Yang He's spiritual vision stirred, and he noticed something unusual about the shadow cast by the Buddha statue on the wall.

The shadows, which should have been still, were now slightly churning and wriggling.

Yang He couldn't help but curl his lips, "Old Yinbi is really good at manipulating people's hearts."

The scriptures were mixed with a little bit of elixir powder, enough to suppress the diseases of mortals, and the incense could bewitch their minds. The tricks of the martial arts world had made mortals aware of the existence of the Burning Lamp Immortal.

It was only because some members of the public developed trust that the Buddha statue came to life.

"By the lamp above." The old monk nodded silently outside the market, gesturing with his hands in front of his chest. His disciples behind him immediately understood.

Everyone, including Yang He, took their scriptures and scattered.

As arranged by the old monk, everyone was to spread the scriptures until the Taoist Ran Deng arrived at Jiepai Pass.

Yang He sneered and pretended to turn into a secluded alley.

Looking around, moss covered the mottled walls, dilapidated bamboo baskets were piled in the corners, and a damp, musty smell filled the air.

He knew he couldn't live much longer, otherwise the power of the heavenly tribulation would completely spiral out of control.

The most urgent task is to find the bull's head.

As offerings continue, the ox head will become increasingly spiritual. Yang He wanted to confirm whether this object was related to Laozi. "Damn it, the number of immortals and gods at Jiepai Pass is increasing every moment."

As Yang He searched, he looked around and noticed three more deities compared to his last visit to the city: the Fire God, the Rabbit Sun God, and the Wind God.

Immortals and gods encompass all aspects of life, while mortals have long been free from worries about food and clothing.

He even started to become a bit arrogant and spoiled.

Every household has a bull's head, but most people can only look at it. Yang He had to ask around to find out which house Granny Li lived in.

Yang He rushed to Granny Li's house, where the door was ajar.

After knocking on the door without receiving a response, he slowly walked into the courtyard.

Granny Li stayed in the inner room, while the ox head that could recite the Tao Te Ching among the three mouths was placed in the main hall. Listening carefully, she could indeed hear murmurs coming from it.

The ox head is more severely dried, with a layer of oil on its surface. The only difference between it and the other ox heads is that it is a blue ox.

"The highest virtue is not virtue; the highest righteousness is acting with purpose. Then one should raise one's arms and throw it away. High and low complement each other, sounds harmonize, and front and back follow each other. This is constant..."

Yang He frowned slightly, noticing that the contents of the Tao Te Ching had been completely disrupted.

"Regardless of whether it is true or not, let's get them out of Jiepai Pass first."

“I have seen countless bull heads in the city, but there is only one green bull head. If the bull head is related to Laozi, it must be true.”

Without thinking twice, Yang He grabbed the green ox head from the offering table.

The ox head felt cool and slippery to the touch, as if it had just been pulled out of a frying pan, with sticky grease dripping down between my fingers.

He wrapped himself in his clothes and dragged himself along the ground with difficulty.

Didn't take a few steps.

A hoarse call came from the inner room.

"My child, my child, is that you who has returned, my child?"

Grandma Li, with her hunched back, slowly walked out, supporting herself on the door frame.

Yang He gasped, his gaze falling on Granny Li's protruding belly, where the exposed skin revealed the veins.

"The Immortal Slaughtering Formation is indeed evil! An old man in his seventies or eighties is pregnant for ten months!!"

"Mortal petitions are inherently filled with distractions. If everything went smoothly, Jiepai Pass would go crazy sooner or later."

When Yang He played the role of the Immaculate Buddha, he listened to the prayers of the saint's followers.

Even when believers face a life-or-death crisis, their prayers will not be pure. Nuwa filters out most of them, leaving them still extremely confused.

Yang He glanced at the inner room and saw a brand-new statue of a deity enshrined on the wall.

The Goddess of Childbirth.

"Wouldn't it be that in the future, ordinary people in Jiepai Pass could give birth whenever they wanted?"

Yang He turned and left the courtyard, while Granny Li clutched her stomach and let out a wail.

"My son."

Grandma Li's abdomen shrank visibly, and there was no longer any sign of pregnancy, but her face still showed joy.

At the same time, light footsteps came from the inner room again.

"Mother, why have you run off again?"

The young man in his early twenties lifted the curtain, his face bearing a striking resemblance to Granny Li.

Yang He's pupils contracted sharply. When he was inquiring about the news earlier, someone mentioned that Granny Li had lost her son in her early years, and the young man was clearly the child Granny Li had been talking about.

Three red candles were burning in front of the statue of the Goddess of Childbirth, and the dripping wax made it seem as if blood was gushing out from the bottom of the statue.

"Damn it, those imagined gods will eventually turn into evil spirits!"

Yang He disappeared into the bustling street. The noisy atmosphere did nothing to alleviate the chill that ran through his body. The Immortal Slaughtering Formation was the most bizarre and inexplicable story he had ever experienced. It wasn't that he was certain to die.

Rather, it's the unpredictability of human nature that makes it impossible to know in which direction things will spiral out of control.

Yang He bought a set of clothes, changed out of his monk's robe, and put on a headscarf, pretending to be a pilgrim preparing to visit the mountain god as he walked out of Jiepai Pass.

No one stopped them during this time.

When desires can be easily satisfied, where is the distinction between good and evil?

Yang He was already dying when he left the area of ​​Jiepai Pass.

The official road outside the city also began to bustle with activity, with disciples of immortals appearing everywhere.

They are still observing, but since Daoist Ran Deng has already taken the plunge, the other immortals will soon follow suit.

"anyway."

Yang He narrowed his eyes, a hint of hesitation creeping into his mind.

"Should I also spread the name of a deity like the Taoist Ran Deng? I don't know what the benefits would be, but it's always good to fish in troubled waters."

"It's worth a try, since it won't affect me anyway."

"Then let's call in more people."

Before he died, Yang He used the magic seal to communicate with the small world.

The sigils of the permanent characters all respond, shimmering with different colors, and you can also see sigils representing others on their surfaces.

The Three Corpse Taoist only has a few scattered talismans.

The most important ones are Nezha and the two sisters, Yunxiao and Qiongxiao.

The seal of the Yin Ghost Immortal was empty.

The mudra of the Immaculate Ghost Buddha is somewhat unique, with its surface densely covered with thousands upon thousands of talismans, which is astonishing.

(End of this chapter)