Mythology

Chapter 432 Anecdote: "Havoc in Heaven"

The moment the permanent character was created, the rotten flesh disappeared as if it had vanished into thin air upon contact with Yang He, as if it had always been part of his body and soul.

Yang He didn't need to communicate with the Nuoxiang ghost; his consciousness simply plunged into complete darkness.

Like the other permanent characters, the true form of the bell-ringing boy is also in the later Guixu, where a special aura can be faintly detected.

The aura of the demons is completely different.

Yang He has never seen a real demon in all his years of cultivation.

The three demons of Xuanyuan Tomb are actually ghosts, since they were originally the remnants of wild beasts buried deep in the mountains. Their essence is stone ghosts, but they have some animal characteristics.

In Yang He's understanding, birds and beasts that cultivate by breathing in yin energy while still alive are considered demons.

The reason he was so certain that demons would be born in the world of legends was mainly because, after observing the capital of Xiqi for decades, he had seen many birds and beasts that were tainted by yin energy and were still alive, only lacking a little bit of intelligence.

As I pondered, the true form of the boy who struck the chime vaguely appeared in my mind.

Yang He saw a "mountain".

No, that was not a mountain, but a deformed body made of flesh and bones, perched in the boundless darkness.

The boy who strikes the chime seems to be a colossal being that has existed since time immemorial. He has no limbs, but has indistinct facial features on his abdomen, with drooping eyebrows and a smile on his lips.

At the same time, faces of different sizes are scattered all over its body.

The expressions on their faces were all different, and it was clear that they were trying their best to imitate the dignified face of the Buddha, but alas, they were just poor imitations.

"hiss."

Countless faces crowded together, layer upon layer, their lips constantly opening and closing, chanting indistinct scriptures and shouting for the Lord of Little Western Paradise.

Yang He snapped out of his daze, his temples throbbing slightly.

"If the bell-ringing boy isn't my regular role, the Little Thunderclap Temple at the foot of Mount Ling will probably be incredibly eerie. Hmm, I'll try playing the part when I get the chance."

In the original story, the Yellow-Eyebrowed King impersonated Maitreya Buddha and stole all of Maitreya Buddha's treasures, leaving Monkey King helpless.

Even when Maitreya Buddha intervened, he relied on a scheme to sneak into the belly of the Yellow-Eyebrowed King.

Yang He's chime-striking boy is definitely far inferior to the Yellow-Eyebrowed King, and it is currently uncertain whether he is one of the eighty-one tribulations.

"You can't avoid getting involved in this mess. Journey to the West is just like a script. Most of the demons and monsters are related to the immortals and Buddhas."

Yang He looked slightly helpless, as he was completely baffled by the new version.

He suppressed his distracting thoughts and continued his seclusion.

Over the next month, news from various places was not optimistic, which indirectly revealed the undercurrents in the main world.

In mountain villages along the East China Sea, blood sacrifices were performed, and the corpses were all kneeling, with the third ribs on both sides inserted into their eardrums.

They attempted to imitate the image of a dragon-headed human after death.

The other large-scale casualties were not as severe as those along the East China Sea coast; they generally involved only a dozen or so people, but it was clear that they were all involved in rituals to appease spirits and deities.

Everything foreshadows the imminent arrival of the Deep Lord in the mortal realm.

However, there is also good news: the mundane items for the South Heavenly Gate have finally been collected.

Only two pieces remain of the Xieyue Sanxing Cave.

Not long after, Yu Zheng personally escorted the mundane items to the temple. Facing Yang He, who was becoming increasingly unbearable to look at, he said nothing and returned the way he came.

Yang He was not stingy either, and the Myriad Transformations Spiritual Root shimmered with a faint light.

A ray of spiritual light entered Yu Zheng's mouth and nose, further advancing his transformation into an immortal body. The same was true for Wang Lan, who had made great contributions; his immortal body was completely restored.

Yang He took out a mundane object, which was a plaque over two meters long.

The surface is engraved with the three characters "Nantianmen".

The plaque is far less imposing than the South Heavenly Gate described in Journey to the West, but in reality it weighs more than a thousand pounds.

[Vulgar things: Born in heaven]

[Related Allusion: "Havoc in Heaven" - Consume 1 Spirit Vision to enter the allusion world?]

"Ten thousand?"

Yang He no longer lacks spiritual vision, but he is still frightened by the inflation of spiritual vision.

"I wonder if there's still a chance to significantly increase one's spiritual vision in Journey to the West."

[Spiritual Vision: 763.6]

Dealing with sages makes it so easy to accumulate spiritual insight. In Journey to the West, the only sage I can recall is the Buddha who wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace.

Perhaps when the story ends, one can witness the eighth level of hell.

"confirm."

Three faces appeared in front of Yang He, but all of them were of white quality.

[Heavenly Soldier (White): The Peach Garden has been abandoned for a long time. You were suddenly transferred to guard the front area. I don't know when it started, but melodious singing has been echoing around us, making people feel relaxed and happy.]

[Officer (White): You are in charge of the Imperial Stables' horse-raising affairs. The celestial horses in the stables all have excellent appetites and require extra feed even at midnight.]

[The Fire-Fanning Taoist Boy (speaking): The alchemy furnace in the Tushita Palace has been burning for three years. Often, piercing screams come from within. You inquire with the celestial officials and learn that it is the manifestation of the spirits within the elixirs.]

Without exception, every character is involved with the Monkey King, leaving Yang Heyi confused about how far the havoc in Heaven had progressed.

Please select the role you played in the historical allusion.

"The Peach Garden is abandoned? Could it be that Monkey King has already been causing trouble all along?"

Yang He licked his lips. He knew that Monkey King stealing peaches and pills was an opportunity he had to seize, especially those peaches that could extend one's lifespan by ten thousand years.

[Spend 1 Spirit Vision to refresh identity?]

"Uh, give up. Having a lot of spiritual vision is one thing, but it shouldn't be wasted like this."

The second refresh requires 100,000 Spirit Vision, but the story has only just begun, and there's no need to invest too much before we've even figured out the situation.

Yang He then looked at his four permanent characters.

[The Celestial Venerable of the Great Void's Inspectorate of Corpses: The long-abandoned Peach Garden has recently been revitalized, and you are stationed in the southeast corner of the front area.]

[Netherworld Patrol Sea True Lord: The elixir for the Tushita Palace is about to be completed. You are responsible for guarding the gate to prevent any accidents.]

Yang He was completely bewildered. After the characters were conferred the title of gods, there should have been a blank period for several hundred years. It was already good enough that the Heavenly Court did not expel them.

According to the information displayed on the panel, it seems that I haven't been idle. "Strange, does Laozi's Tushita Palace need a True Immortal like me to guard it? His strength has only become more terrifying over the past few hundred years."

Unable to portray "Namo Amitabha Buddha"

Yang He was not surprised. The Immaculate Buddha needs a Buddha statue to descend, and perhaps he would only have the opportunity to appear when the Tathagata Buddha suppressed Sun Wukong.

[Child who strikes the chime: You recently escaped the Pure Land and have been hiding on the outskirts of the Tusita Heaven, seeking an opportunity to descend to the mortal realm.]

"I can't play the roles of Corpse Celestial Venerable and Ghost True Lord. I don't know anything about the current situation."

"Let's play the role of a celestial soldier, since the True Immortal Realm is pretty much the same anyway."

Yang He passed on the four ghosts to the heavenly soldiers, but their quality remained white. In the Investiture of the Gods, they should have been at least blue.

.........

The scent of peaches mingled with the stench of corpses, and a thick fog enveloped the surroundings.

Twenty or thirty corpses of heavenly soldiers lay scattered about, their blood staining the soil red. The manner of their deaths was that of daggers piercing their mouths.

Yang He lay on the barren land, and the moment his consciousness returned, he drew his sword.

The sword had pierced through his Niwan Palace, which would have affected an ordinary person, but he had the Nuo Xiang Ghost protecting him, whose mysterious light caused the wound to close.

"Cough cough cough."

"What kind of start is this?"

The scene of the so-called Peach Garden immediately came into view.

"The Peach Orchard? Where are the peach trees?"

Yang He was completely astonished, as there wasn't a single blade of grass or tree in his field of vision.

The peach scent is surprisingly realistic, almost nauseatingly sweet.

Yang He quickly checked the heavenly soldier he was playing. His silver armor was intact, and the only fatal wound on his body was one he had inflicted himself.

He had only just started playing the role of the Monkey King in Heaven, but something about him already felt off.

"Uh."

A weak groan came from behind.

Yang He felt a chill run down his spine. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a heavenly soldier among the pile of corpses, half of his face submerged in blood, his lips trembling as he made a sound.

The heavenly soldier's pupils focused, and he gasped for breath, "Yang He, you're not dead? Die quickly, or it will be too late!"

As he spoke, his soul began to dissipate.

"What exactly happened?"

Yang He was completely bewildered; the heavenly soldiers didn't seem to be affected by demons or monsters at all.

The heavenly soldier's pupils were dilated, and he made gurgling sounds in his throat, repeatedly chanting with a ferocious expression, "Die...die quickly..."

His fingernails dug into the flesh of his palm. If he hadn't been on the verge of death, Yang He had no doubt that this man would have strangled him.

"Why must one die? What does 'too late' mean?"

Yang He wasn't afraid of being exposed; the disintegration of the heavenly soldiers' souls in front of him was inevitable, showing how ruthless he was when he committed suicide.

During the Shang-Zhou War, many immortals learned of the existence of the Investiture of the Gods, but none of them were as decisive as the Shang in the face of certain death.

"Uh."

Blood flowed from the heavenly soldier's mouth and nose. "If he doesn't die, he will bring disaster."

Click.

Suddenly, a faint cracking sound came from the heavenly soldier's body. It was probably his little finger that had broken. The sound was strange and inexplicable.

Yang He tried to help the heavenly soldier up, but the latter's brows were filled with terror.

The heavenly soldier ignored Yang He, his wide eyes narrowing to pinpoints, his peripheral vision fixed on the southeast, and with his last bit of strength, he grabbed his sword.

Phew.

The sword, being a yin treasure, seems to have the power to extinguish life force.

The heavenly soldier pierced his own throat, his limbs trembling as he lost his life. His right arm, still holding his sword, tried to slash at Yang He before he died.

Yang He was puzzled and began to search the corpse.

He discovered that the heavenly soldiers' bodies were very peculiar; their silver armor was part of their flesh and bones, making them resemble puppets created later in life.

The little finger of the corpse was bent at a 90-degree angle at the joint.

Yang He straightened his little finger again, but saw nothing unusual. He then scanned all the corpses with his divine sense, only to find his mind filled with a stench once more.

I don't know if it's because of the Peach Garden or if that's just how things are in Heaven.

The yin energy was extremely mixed.

Yang He frowned. In the Investiture of the Gods, Yin Qi at most contained the five elements, but now it consists of at least dozens of types of Qi.

"The change in the cultivation system should not have originated from yin energy."

"To be precise, isn't the source of Yin energy the Dao of Heaven?"

Yang He looked at the Myriad Transformations Heavenly Dao Field. The roots of the Heavenly Dao Tree were starting to rot, but the rate of decay was not as fast as it had been in the main world.

"Our immediate priority is to head southeast and find the Corpse Celestial Venerable."

"Could the Corpse Celestial Lord have developed sentience?"

"impossible."

Yang He quickly dismissed his guess. Even if Corpse Celestial Venerable really possessed intelligence, his character information would still be revealed. Besides, he couldn't wait for his permanent character to cultivate in the Heavenly Court for hundreds of years.

He carefully stepped over the corpse, about to disappear into the thick fog.

At this moment.

Click click click.

There were more subtle, crisp sounds, but they happened extremely frequently.

(End of this chapter)