Mythology

Chapter 429 Turning to Ashes (End of the Investiture of the Gods)

Chaoge City was in chaos. Although ordinary people could not see the horrifying scene of the sky collapsing and the earth sinking, they could instinctively feel the fear.

Especially those veterans who frequently fought against ghost soldiers.

They had no cultivation, but they were extremely sensitive to yin energy.

The disaster... did not seem to subside with the fall of the Shang Dynasty; in fact, the yin energy was becoming visibly denser, sending chills down their spines.

"Don't panic!!!"

Ji Fa held the sacrificial knife high, the blade still stained with the blood from the slaughter of three animals not long ago.

His face contorted with madness as he surveyed the chaotic sacrificial scene. "I am the chosen ruler of all under heaven, selected by the sage, and now... yes, it is an auspicious omen from heaven! It is an auspicious omen!!"

No one paid any attention to Ji Fa. A cold wind howled, and a foul stench wafted over.

Hundreds of thousands of half-human, half-ghost people remained frozen in place, making gurgling sounds from their throats, with faint lividity appearing on their skin.

Ji Fa retreated several steps, staring at the crowd of people in utter terror.

"This is... a ghost transformation?"

"Impossible! The Shang Dynasty has already fallen; how could evil spirits continue to thrive?!"

He looked around in bewilderment and saw that the banners bearing the words "Peace" had been scattered, the words appearing extremely ironic, and the morale of Xiqi, which had enabled them to defeat the Shang Dynasty, had completely collapsed.

Just as Jiang Ziya had always worried, once the mortals learned that the Mandate of Heaven did not belong to Xiqi, attacking Shang would be a mistake.

The human heart is a fearsome thing.

After all, when ghosts and monsters roam the world, upon closer examination, it is also the time when Xiqi is preparing to establish itself as king, and Xiqi will become the culprit.

Hundreds of thousands of people began to convulse, their limbs twisting.

They suddenly tore off the ropes binding them, their movements so agile that they were completely different from their previous dazed state.

"Be on guard! Protect the King!!"

The guards shouted, but only a few soldiers responded. Some soldiers, in order to protect themselves, pointed their spears at the civilians.

However, what happened next sent chills down everyone's spine.

The people did not attack anyone; instead, they all chose to commit suicide.

The white-haired old man picked up the rope, skillfully hung it on a tree branch, and then without hesitation put it around his neck. His legs kicked weakly, and a relieved smile appeared on his face.

The sound of a middle-aged man crashing into a stone pillar of the altar was clearly audible.

Blood splattered on the bronze sacrificial vessels, but he seemed to feel no pain. Even as he breathed his last, he was still gazing in the direction of his home.

Several women, hand in hand, jumped into the deep well without hesitation.

The moment the water splashed, a long-lost peace appeared between their brows.

In the blink of an eye, thousands of people ended their lives in various ways, and the Nuwa Palace was filled with corpses, resembling a mass grave.

The terrifying thing is that the corpse quickly came back to life.

The tongue of the hanged man stretched out longer and longer, eventually reaching his chest; the skull of the man who died by hitting his head against the wall cracked open, and maggots crawled out from inside; the body of the man who threw himself into the well floated to the surface, his skin already white and swollen from being soaked, like an inflated sac.

"They are actively transforming into ghosts!!"

Nezha gripped his Fire-Tipped Spear, looking somewhat bewildered at the hellish world around him.

Jiang Ziya snapped out of his daze and grabbed Yang Jian's shoulder, crying out, "Save Xiqi, save the mortals of the world!"

"Uncle-Master, I will immediately organize the remaining disciples of the Chan Sect."

Yang He reached out to stop Yang Jian, as the growth of his spiritual vision had reached its peak.

He noticed that even though the people could hardly recognize the features of living people, there was still a wisp of yang fire burning within them, and they had not completely turned into ghosts.

Rumble.

Thunder rumbled in the sky, and the gloomy rain caused thick black water to accumulate in Nuwa Palace.

Before the evil spirits could wreak havoc on Chaoge, the viscous black water began to converge on them, and soon covered the entire Nuwa Palace.

Yang Jian and the others were stunned, but Yang He had already guessed how things would unfold.

Puff puff.

Countless strands of black hair emerged from the water, each as thick as a baby's arm, precisely binding each of the ghostly people and dragging them to the bottom of the water like a fisherman pulling in a net.

In just a few moments, hundreds of thousands of people had disappeared.

“This is…” Yang Jian’s third eye twitched violently.

"They have fallen into the Ruins of Return."

As soon as Yang He finished speaking, the black water evaporated completely, and the capital city of the Shang Dynasty, which had stood for six hundred years, became a ghost town in a short period of time.

Not only hundreds of thousands of ordinary people, but King Zhou, who fled in advance, will likely suffer the same fate.

They are already part of an endless hell.

No.

It's only the sixth level now, how can it be called an endless hell?

Yang He had previously assumed that the reason why the history of the Grand Court was interrupted, missing nearly 1,500 years, was because the predecessors deliberately concealed what had happened in the mortal world.

It now seems that the Grand Court did not originate from the mortal realm at all.

Rather, it originates from the deepest hell.

"Those cultivators from the main world who went to Hell to find the High Priests probably discovered this from the ancient texts."

"But at least they didn't completely lose their humanity. They probably erased the contents recorded in the classics, for fear that mortals would mistake ghosts for their ancestors."

Yang He believed his guess was pretty accurate.

He just couldn't understand how someone who had become an evil spirit could be restored to life. What other bizarre calamities had occurred over the past three thousand years?
"It's not something to be underestimated."

Yang He's expression was solemn. If the Deep Chieftain had truly established a nation for over two thousand years, and given that the Endless Hell contained the ruins of the thirty-six heavens, it was hard to imagine how terrifying its scale of development must have been.

It is absolutely incomparable to any mortal dynasty; it is very likely already a…

An unconventional Heavenly Court.

The Heavenly Court is composed of countless ghosts and gods; a single True Immortal like myself cannot withstand it.

"Junior brother."

Yang He took a deep breath. The Human Mother he had faced earlier might have come from the deepest level of the Grand Master. The Human Mother imitated the Goddess Nuwa. Although she did not reach the level of a saint, she should be above the level of a Great Luo Golden Immortal.

Of course, the power of the sages also seems to be increasing dramatically, especially the Three Pure Ones. It's hard to imagine that sages would disappear in later generations; they should be immortal.

"Junior brother!!"

Yang Jian interrupted Yang He's thoughts, "Is Guixu at the end of the underworld? Will the Great Shang Dynasty descend to the mortal realm again in the future?"

"I don't know, but it is indeed the final resting place of all things."

Yang He wanted to explain further, but he only heard Jiang Ziya's desperate murmur.

"They will come back, they will definitely come back! The Great Shang Dynasty...is not dead!!!"

Jiang Ziya knelt weakly on the ground, his roar already somewhat broken. The words "Da Shang" sounded like "Da Si" being repeated in Yang He's ears.

Yang He's mouth moved slightly, and the panel already showed signs of the story's completion.

He looked around; the era of humans and ghosts living together was about to begin.

Ji Fa stood on the altar, his ceremonial robes stained with mud, still roaring hysterically: "I am the chosen one by Heaven! Look!"

He pointed to the empty Nuwa Palace, "The evil spirits have been exorcised; this is an auspicious sign!"

No one answered.

The soldiers of Xiqi had already abandoned their armor and weapons, and rushed frantically toward the west gate.

Having fought against ghost soldiers, they knew better than anyone that as night fell, such dense yin energy would surely attract evil spirits.

Immediately afterwards, a rustling sound came from the east gate. It sounded somewhat like bones grinding together.

The soil on the battlefield, which had already been cleared, writhed, as if something indescribable was crawling underground. Before long, severed limbs and pieces of flesh quietly emerged and stuck together.

boom! !

A Yin-spirit ghost (Hun Yuan) pieced together from thousands of corpses rose from the pool of blood.

It had no head, with a broken banner stuck in its neck as a substitute, and its chest cavity was split open and filled with heads that had not yet decomposed.

The evil spirits roared to the sky, and different malevolent spirits could be heard responding within a hundred miles.

The Void continuously provides Yin energy to the mortal realm, and the evil spirits born in the future will only become more and more powerful. If nothing unexpected happens, even ordinary wild beasts will become terrifying when they come into contact with Yin energy.

"Photography!"

Yang Jian's third eye suddenly opened, and a golden light shot out like a sharp arrow, instantly piercing the chest of the Yin God Ghost, causing the enormous creature to crash to the ground.

However, the Xiqi army fought all the way, and wherever they went, even if there were altars to absorb the resentment, and even if the corpses were burned to as much as possible.

But even just splashing blood everywhere can breed a large number of evil spirits.

As the sun sets, hordes of ghosts surge in from all directions. To the north crawl a three-headed, six-armed demon; to the west float lanterns supported by human heads; and to the south, shadowy figures move through the forest—dozens of mountain goblins.

The city was also teeming with evil spirits: drowned ghosts crawling at the mouths of wells; hanged ghosts hanging in clusters from the eaves; burning ghosts crawling out of the stoves; and even swollen water ghosts soaking in the water tanks in the corners of the walls.

Jiang Ziya slumped to the ground, and before he could speak, Yang Jian and the other three had already made their move.

All four were around the Guixu Realm, and they were no match for the horde of ghosts. However, the impact they had was quite different. Previously, the soldiers regarded them as disciples of immortals with reverence.

Now, only hysterical wails are asking the question.

Immortal!
Why do ghosts and monsters still roam the world?!
Even the usually carefree Nezha became somewhat flustered when faced with mortal pleas.

They are destined to ascend, just like students who have already signed contracts. Even if they die in the mortal world, their souls will belong to the Heavenly Court.

Yang He did not intervene from beginning to end, partly because his role was limited in terms of ability.

On the other hand, one's consciousness has already separated from the physical body.

Panel display prompts.

The story of "Ghosts Beget Ghosts" has been completed, and the epic tale of "Investiture of the Gods" has been completed.

"The Investiture of the Gods has finally ended, but the disaster has only just begun."

Yang He's consciousness rose higher and higher, and soon he arrived at the clouds, where he witnessed Ji Fa kneeling before Yang Jian and the others, hoping that they would protect the capital.

Ji Fa was so terrified that he dared not even travel thousands of miles back to Xiqi.

He kept muttering "all ghosts" and "I am the ruler of the world."

Jiang Ziya chose to stay in Chaoge, watching over the eighty- or ninety-year-old mad king, while Yang Jian and others went into seclusion to cultivate.

The once prosperous Chaoge is now a scene of devastation.

Only ten or twenty thousand soldiers were willing to stay, and they were all elderly veterans who knew their bodies couldn't withstand the long march.

Even if it means facing danger, the rest plan to return to their hometowns and reunite with their families.

The Western Zhou Dynasty existed in name only before it was even established.

The character's cultivation level will be solidified as a True Immortal.

"It means that even ordinary characters will become true immortals in the future, haha."

Yang He had no idea that the next version would be easier. Damn it, Journey to the West was full of demon caves that were comparable to those of immortals and Buddhas.

That said, could an ordinary person live to see Journey to the West?

The Tang Dynasty in its golden age?

If evil spirits can appear in broad daylight, how could there be a prosperous Tang Dynasty?

[Can generate ten permanent characters]

Yang He was overjoyed. He was relieved that he would not have to deal with the nine incarnations of the Immaculate Buddha one by one, and that he could resolve the hidden dangers before Journey to the West. He would also not have to worry about the hidden tricks of Buddhism when playing the role.

The panel does not force the immediate creation of permanent characters.

Yang He realized that the quota could be figured out slowly in the main world, especially the extra permanent character, which was absolutely crucial.

As he pondered, his gaze remained fixed at an altitude of 10,000 meters.

The speed of time is accelerating.

Yang He was like watching a movie, unable to control anyone's fate. From beginning to end, Chaoge was only inhabited by 10,000 veterans.

He witnessed firsthand that Chaoge was renamed Haojing, and as evil spirits became more frequent, the city walls were abandoned, and the plaques fell to the ground and were ignored.

Three years later, Ji Fa died of old age, and no one succeeded him.

His descendants have long since returned to Xiqi, and their fate is unknown.

Yang He suspected that outside of Haojing, many towns were unaware that the Shang Dynasty had fallen, and that the former capital had been completely forgotten by the world.

After Ji Fa's death, Jiang Ziya chose to travel around. A magic array had been set up in the city to at least help conceal some of the blood and qi. In addition, the old soldier's yang energy was insufficient, so he could barely survive.

In less than twenty years, Gaojing was completely reduced to ruins.

Yang He's vision was limited, and he was unaware of the current situation in the world of historical allusions. It wasn't until the twenty-fourth year after Xiqi destroyed Shang that a figure slowly approached from the west to the east along the mountain road.

It was not Jiang Ziya, but an ascetic monk carrying a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha.

Even in the darkness of night, no evil spirits approached the ascetic monks; the light emitted by the Buddha statues covered a hundred meters, interspersed with deafening chanting.

Yang He shook his head slightly; it seemed that there was indeed a way out through the mundane world.

Immortals and Buddhas would not allow mortals to become food for evil spirits, especially Buddhism, which greatly needs incense offerings to sustain its spiritual practice.

"Taoism declined while Buddhism flourished. In previous history, the Tang Dynasty even carried out several persecutions of Buddhism and confiscation of property, which shows how large Buddhism was."

Yang He looked at the ascetic monk, but unfortunately the distance was too far, and his spiritual vision was useless. He could only tell that the ascetic monk had a kind and benevolent appearance.

The ascetic chose to stay in Gaojing and work the fields with the old man.

The Buddha statue was always carried on its back, and even though the years had caused it to become hunched over, it was less than a meter tall in just a few years.

Yang He was constantly searching for the strangeness of the ascetic monk.

As a result, the ascetic monks worked diligently, distributing most of the harvested grain to themselves and immediately going into the mountains to collect medicinal herbs when an elderly person fell ill.

Yang Hedu already believed that ascetic monks were great philanthropists who accumulated merit.

In the thirty-sixth year after Xiqi destroyed the Shang dynasty.

The elderly people had all suffered injuries of varying degrees, yet they managed to live to be in their seventies or eighties, with the oldest being ninety-one.

Suddenly one day...

The ascetic monk kept silent, oblivious to the outside world, and knelt at the city gate, chanting scriptures incessantly.

puff.

A crack appeared in the Buddha statue.

Yang He then discovered that the Buddha statue was not carried on the ascetic monk's back at all, but rather grew on his spine, like an external organ.

A skinless man crawled out and swallowed all the old people.

The ascetic monk regained his youth, his body was no longer hunched, and a cinnabar mole appeared between his eyebrows, making him look even more dignified and solemn.

He continued eastward, as if cannibalism were insignificant.

"Those with deep roots can attain immortality, while those with lesser roots can be enshrined as gods and enjoy temple honors."

"In the cycle of reincarnation, the foolish and stubborn will inevitably turn to ashes."

Haojing was overgrown with vegetation and buried in the dust of history.

(End of this chapter)