Mythology

Chapter 456 Only Died 372 Times (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

The Great Luo Heaven is the highest of the Thirty Heavens. The Jade Pool is located next to the Peach Garden, or rather, the Peach Garden is also part of the Jade Pool. Both were once the Taoist temple of the Queen Mother of the West.

"Congratulations to the Queen Mother of the West! May you enjoy boundless happiness and longevity!!"

Two days before the Peach Banquet, Venus's voice had already begun to resonate.

"The three realms celebrate together, and the four continents rejoice together."

"The jade branches bear auspicious tidings, and the fairy garden exudes fragrance."

The blessings continued until the banquet was filled with immortals and deities.

The only response from Venus was a series of wails.

Yaochi should be a blessed land, but the scene was strange and inexplicable. The branches of the ancient trees were bent like arms, and fingers grew from the edges of the leaves. At the same time, there were distorted human faces of all sizes all over the place.

The human face had its mouth wide open, and a painful wail echoed after a cold wind blew.

In the center of Yaochi is a lake, which originally gathered the Yin energy of the Three Realms. Every drop of lake water was clear Xuan Yin True Water. But what happened?

At this moment, the lake inexplicably rippled. If you look closely, you will find that each ripple, under the refraction of sunlight, transforms into countless tiny eyes, with pupils constantly drilling holes.

Venus's maggot-like body was submerged in the water, while its head floated on the surface of the lake.

In mid-air, clouds and mist supported round tables for a peach banquet, complete with fine wines, delicacies, and rare fruits, but the tables were empty.

The grand gathering, which should have been filled with clinking glasses and melodious music, was eerily silent.

The delicacies and delicacies at the banquet continued to rot and heal, filling the air with a foul stench. The celestial wine in the wine jars turned into thick, black blood, which slowly dripped down.

"The Queen Mother of the West's Peach Banquet has turned out like this?"

A figure arrived at the lakeside, muttering mockingly to himself, his entire body shrouded in a faint five-colored divine light, concealing his aura.

He was Kong Xuan, who, as a Fire God, was not qualified to attend the banquet, but instead escaped a calamity.

"If the Heavenly Court continues to descend into chaos, will we have to confer titles of gods again?"

Every single immortal or deity on the banquet guest list for the Peach Banquet has met with an accident, and the corpses outside their mansions have piled up like mountains.

The order of Heaven has collapsed. The only thing the other eight righteous gods can do is seal off their residences. They have no time to deal with the corpses. A large number of troops have been transferred to the South Heavenly Gate to prevent them from affecting the mortal world.

Kong Xuan's gaze fell on the head of the banquet table, where at least the Queen Mother of the West should have been seated.

However, there was only a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe covered in filth.

The robe was empty beneath, yet a human figure was vaguely outlined, as if someone was wearing it invisibly, but it was invisible to the naked eye.

Kong Xuan swallowed hard, and for some reason wanted to try it on.

"Welcome, Master of the Spiritual Platform, Celestial Immortal of the Crescent Moon and Three Stars Cave!"

Venus's shout interrupted Kong Xuan's thoughts. The Bodhi Patriarch on the banquet list was unaffected and rode auspicious clouds toward Yaochi.

Kong Xuan's gaze lingered for a few moments. He had lived for countless millennia and had never heard of any "Master of the Spirit Platform and Square Inch." He must be a Buddhist.

He even suspected that the sudden Peach Banquet was related to Buddhism.

With the Three Pure Ones no longer in Heaven, and the Queen Mother of the West and the Jade Emperor missing for hundreds of years, how could Buddhism not reach into the Thirty Heavens? In Kong Xuan's view, the schemes of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss were far beyond the ordinary.

"I must seize the opportunities I missed back then."

"If I hadn't died during the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods, I would be the Buddha of the Pure Land, and I might even have a place among the Seven Sages of Buddhism."

Kong Xuan's brows furrowed with eagerness as he took the initiative to greet Patriarch Bodhi.

"Kong Xuan has met the Master of the Lingtai Fangcun."

Kong Xuan bowed respectfully, but Bodhi Patriarch showed no reaction, only stiffly taking steps forward, his compassionate face frozen in place.

"Master of the Mind Platform, may I ask which Buddha of the Pure Land you are?"

Bodhi Patriarch stared intently at Kong Xuan, his voice hoarse as he forced out a sound.

"who are you?"

Kong Xuan's heart skipped a beat, but he still forced a smile and said, "I almost entered the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss back then. The Sage Zhunti once promised me..."

Before he could finish speaking, Bodhi Patriarch had already brushed past him.

Kong Xuan, breathing rapidly, quickly stopped Bodhi Patriarch, "The Corpse Celestial Venerable is in my hands, I need a chance to meet the Sage Zhunti!"

Click.

Bodhi Patriarch's head suddenly twisted 180 degrees!

Kong Xuan retreated several steps, while the other person's mouth opened wider and wider until the upper and lower jaws were completely dislocated.

puff.

A pair of pale arms emerged from the mouth, their fingernails stained with black blood, followed by the disheveled head of a Buddha.

The upper body of the Buddha of Corpse Abandoned emerged directly from the body of Patriarch Bodhi.

"Good."

The decaying lips of the Buddha Shiqi moved slightly, and he said with a smile, "Benefactor, you have a connection with my Buddha, and I am Shiqi, a disciple of my Buddha Shakyamuni. I wonder where the Venerable Shiqi is?"

Kong Xuan felt deeply uncomfortable, as the aura emanating from the Corpse-Abandoned Buddha was very similar to that of the Corpse Heavenly Venerable.

Even when Corpse Celestial Venerable was corrupted by the Void, he was far less wicked than Corpse Abandoned Buddha.

Kong Xuan realized the importance of the Corpse Celestial to Buddhism. "The Corpse Celestial can't be brought to Yaochi, and as a condition, Buddhism must agree to a few of my requests."

"Please speak, benefactor."

The Buddha of Corpse Abandoned his smile without fading, while Patriarch Bodhi walked to a corner of the banquet on his own.

When Venus saw guests entering, even though Bodhi Patriarch was just a shell, he couldn't help but murmur excitedly.

Kong Xuan couldn't figure out Shi Qifo, so he gritted his teeth and said, "First, I want a Buddhahood, and I also need you to find out who took my place and entered the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss."

"can."

Contrary to expectations, Shiqifo agreed almost without hesitation.

"Your replacement consists of one human and one ghost."

"One of them is now a disciple of the Seven Saints, the chief disciple of Medicine Buddha, whose Buddhist name is Pure Light Buddha, and whose secular name is Bixiao."

Kong Xuan's face was grim. He had died at Yunxiao's hands, and his opportunity had been taken by Bixiao.

Unfortunately, he was helpless. With his cultivation level as a Cloud-Soaring Primordial Golden Immortal, it was almost impossible for him to die at the Peach Banquet, and revenge was simply unrealistic.

"As for the other ghost, you might as well ask Corpse Celestial Venerable. As far as I know, Corpse Celestial Venerable also has a supernatural power of five-colored divine light."

Shiqifo observed Kong Xuan's expression, enjoying the pleasure brought by the latter's imbalance of Dao heart.

"The supernatural power of Corpse Celestial Venerable has developed into a spiritual being, becoming a spiritual child under the seat of Pure Light Tathagata, with the Buddhist name Buddha Mother Great Bright King Bodhisattva."

Kong Xuan groaned, a crack appearing between his eyebrows that nearly pierced his skull.

Five-colored divine light emanated from the skull, and it took a long time to suppress it and prevent the demonic possession from worsening.

Shi Qifo clasped his hands together and said, “Benefactor, the Buddha’s position will be delivered soon. If you trust me, you can hand over Shi Tianzun first.”

Kong Xuan could sense the greed in Shiqifo's words.

After hesitating for a long time, he agreed and spat out a five-colored divine light that disappeared into the lower level. "Shiqi Buddha, Yang He's other incarnation is in the Tushita Palace, but it should be under your control for the time being."

Shiqifo did not refute, and Kong Xuan understood that the calamity in the Heavenly Court did indeed originate from Buddhism.

"Corpse-Abandoned Buddha, let me remind you, this person's original name is Yang He. He awakened less than a hundred days ago and has already crossed two realms to become a Golden Immortal. His methods are extremely difficult to deal with, and he also possesses immortality..."

"Benefactor, do you think that the Buddha's cycle of cause and effect cannot seal him off?"

The Buddha of Corpse Abandoned smiled and shook his head. "What is cause and effect and reincarnation? They will constantly experience the cycle of life and death. Even if your Dao heart is very stable, do you think the supernatural powers within you will backfire?"

"So what if the supernatural power backfires? It's all in vain if you can't kill Yang He."

Kong Xuan instinctively sided with Yang He and started arguing with Shi Qifo.

He both feared and hated Yang He and his associates. For over seven hundred years, he would turn and run away whenever he saw Yunxiao. Upon hearing rumors about Yang He, he felt that everything was orchestrated by the latter.

All the saints who appeared during the Investiture of the Gods calamity had a master-disciple relationship with Yang He.

Nuwa, the Two Sages of the West, the Three Pure Ones...

They are truly favored by Heaven.

In Kong Xuan's memory, the first time he saw Yang Hesheng, he had shown malice, and it seemed that ever since then, even drinking cold water would cause him trouble.

Kong Xuan felt inexplicably irritated. "Shi Qifo, it would be best to make some arrangements for Yang He. I'm afraid there might be oversights in the cycle of cause and effect."

He paused for a moment, then said, "It is easy to suffer the backlash of Heaven if you become enemies with Yang He."

"Backlash from Heaven?"

Shiqifo couldn't help but burst into laughter, as if he had heard the most absurd joke.

"Heavenly backlash? Do you think he is the embodiment of Heavenly Dao? The cycle of cause and effect has already begun, enough to obliterate the consciousness of a Golden Immortal."

Rumble.

A deafening roar came from the direction of Yuantongyuan Cave.

The Buddha of Corpse Abandoned said indifferently, "Marshal Tianpeng is too blind. He actually discovered our arrangements in the Thirtieth Heaven. So you see, he is now a monster that is neither human nor demon."

Kong Xuan noticed that the mansion gate was smashed open by a tremendous force.

The piles of corpses inside the mansion had merged into a writhing mass of human-faced flesh, with countless distorted facial features constantly rising and falling on its surface.

Roar! ! !
The monster has deformed limbs, with slightly short legs, feet swollen into hoof shapes, and twelve arms that drag it across the ground.

Its crawling posture was extremely bizarre. Its arms moved like wooden paddles, while its legs spasmed and twitched. Its whole body moved forward like a pig in a mud pit, arching and shoving. Wherever it passed, the paving stones were corroded into pits that emitted black smoke.

"Ho."

Marshal Tianpeng gasped for breath, and suddenly hundreds of faces spoke simultaneously, "Hungry!!!"

The heavenly soldiers and generals had no time to react before they became food for Marshal Tianpeng, who then climbed the heavenly ladder towards Yaochi.

The Buddha of Corpse Abandoned nodded in satisfaction, "Cause and effect, and reincarnation, are the great laws of our Buddha."

“Benefactor, even immortals and Buddhas have impure thoughts after death. If one is not careful, one will be poisoned by these impure thoughts, and the corpse will become more and more like a demon. Yang He, whom you mentioned, is no exception.”

Kong Xuan looked toward the Tushita Palace, but his divine sense could not penetrate the residence of the Supreme Lord Laozi.

But he still refused to believe that Yang He would die so easily in the cycle of cause and effect.

The Buddha of Corpse Abandoned said to himself, "A hundred years ago, this humble monk killed Yang He and trapped his followers in the cycle of cause and effect for seventy years."

"Isn't it interesting that the demons formed from the resentment of the monkeys are sealed in the Eight Trigrams Furnace?"

The demon mentioned in the words of the Buddha of Corpse Abandonment is clearly the person in the furnace, that extremely strange middle-aged man who is closely related to the Bright Spirit Stone Monkey.

"Unfortunately, the monkey faked its death and escaped the cycle of cause and effect. Its whereabouts are now unknown. Otherwise, I would have fed its flesh, bones and soul to the demons."

"Welcome, Lord Tianhe!"

Marshal Tianpeng was unhindered and successfully crawled to Yaochi.

His mind became muddled as a result, and he sat down on his own, his bizarre appearance sending chills down Kong Xuan's spine.

The Peach Banquet is only two days away, and who knows how many immortals and gods will die in the cycle of cause and effect.

While he was stunned, the five-colored divine light landed in front of Kong Xuan, and Corpse Heavenly Venerable was wrapped in it.

"Innate Corpse Qi? That's right, Innate Corpse Qi!!"

The Buddha of Corpse Abandoned wished he could detach himself from the body of Patriarch Bodhi, his chest heaving violently.

Kong Xuan noticed Shi Qifo's inexplicable appetite and secretly concluded that the two must be related, otherwise their auras could not be so similar.

He knew he had no choice; the eight departments of Heaven might be reshuffled.

However, Luo Xuan, the head of the Fire Department, is not included in this list.

Kong Xuan also did not want to stay in the Heavenly Court any longer. Even if he could safely weather the disaster at Yaochi, he didn't know when Lingxiao Palace would get out of control again.

“Benefactor, monks do not lie, and the rank will be delivered soon.”

The Corpse-Abandoning Buddha muttered to himself, "As expected of the first wisp of corpse energy in the world, if I could seize a physical body, I would surely be able to advance even further."

Before Kong Xuan could probe the Buddhist arrangements at Yaochi, Bodhi Patriarch slumped in his seat, and the Corpse-Abandoning Buddha disappeared after returning to his body.

Corpse Celestial Venerable's limbs trembled slightly.

Kong Xuan gasped, realizing that the Corpse-Abandoned Buddha had clearly moved into the Corpse Heavenly Venerable's body.

Since Yang He became deeply entangled in the cycle of cause and effect, Corpse Celestial Venerable has been completely devoid of life. Logically speaking, it shouldn't be difficult for Corpse Abandoned Buddha to take over the physical body.

The next moment, an incredible whisper from the Buddha of the Corpse was heard.

"Even now, he still retains control over his avatar?"

Kong Xuan felt a chill and subconsciously took a half step back.

Damn it, here we go again.

It seemed like there was a great chance, but then some unexpected things happened at the beginning. On the surface, it was within an acceptable range, but in reality, it was not.

Perhaps everything was within Yang He's expectations, and he was secretly watching them.

Kong Xuan was truly terrified, even regretting acquiring the Corpse Celestial Venerable. He felt that he had already been unlucky enough for over seven hundred years, and his luck was about to plummet even further.

The Corpse Celestial's fingertips flexed and extended slightly, yet he still could not replace it.

“Benefactor.” Corpse Celestial Venerable squeezed out the voice of Corpse Abandoning Buddha from his throat, but it carried a subtle solemnity. “Before the Peach Banquet begins, take me to the Tushita Palace.”

Kong Xuan's eyelids twitched wildly; indeed, only his Five-Colored Divine Light could break through the Doubu formation.

But is it worth it? Perhaps it's better to cut your losses now...

"Kong Xuan, you just need to lead this humble monk into the Tushita Palace. You don't need to interfere after that. No matter what my situation is, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who will arrive in two days, will grant you the fruition."

Shi Qifo became visibly impatient and waited for a long time before Kong Xuan finally agreed.

"Okay, but I need one thing: a Garan branch that can descend to the mortal realm."

The Buddha of Corpse Abandoned let out a muffled groan, and then the Bodhi Patriarch opened his mouth and spat out a piece of withered wood. Upon seeing this, Kong Xuan activated the Five-Colored Divine Light and entered the Heavenly Ladder.

The immortals and gods were all in danger, and the heavenly soldiers and generals had all retreated to the Milky Way.

Not long after, Kong Xuan arrived at the silent Tushita Palace, where he could only hear the crackling of the flames in the Eight Trigrams Furnace and the sight of skinned apes carrying the corpse of Ghost True Lord.

The corpses were piled up beside the Eight Trigrams Furnace, and were pushed into the fire from time to time.

Although the Eight Trigrams Furnace is a supreme innate treasure, it has not yet been refined by Laozi, and it is almost unable to contain the person inside.

However, the person inside the furnace was extremely afraid of the aura of the Corpse-Abandoning Buddha.

The Corpse-Abandoning Buddha voluntarily withdrew from the Five-Colored Divine Light, and his corpse sat cross-legged in the open space in front of the door. The person in the furnace respectfully bowed to the Corpse-Abandoning Buddha.

“Amitabha, you have replaced the Mingling Stone Monkey, and this humble monk has replaced the Primordial Corpse Qi. Yang He and his disciples are indeed destined to be with the Buddha, and with you and me.”

The person inside the furnace scratched his ears and cheeks in agreement, and six ears could be seen faintly on his face. His behavior became more and more like that of Sun Wukong.

"What a coincidence! What a coincidence!"

The Buddha of Corpse Abandoned nodded and said, "After today, there will be no more man or monkey."

Immediately afterwards, Corpse Celestial Venerable vanished into thin air, clearly having gone to the causal cycle where Yang He was, preparing to actively annihilate his consciousness.

However, Shi Qifo did not notice the astonishment between Kong Xuan's brows.

“He… is not dead, Yang He is not dead, and Shi Qifo will definitely suffer the backlash from the Heavenly Dao.”

Kong Xuan was extremely observant. He compared the dozen or so corpses beside the Eight Trigrams Furnace and sorted them by the time of death, finding almost no difference between them.

The bodies died in different ways, but their expressions were peaceful, as if they were fast asleep, with a slight smile on their lips.

This shows that Yang He never despaired during his constant cycle of life and death.

Even his internal supernatural powers never went out of control, which had a somewhat self-amusing quality.

Will the Buddha of Corpse Abandon Die?

Kong Xuan wiped the cold sweat from his forehead; once the thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.

As a Buddha, Shiqi Buddha's cultivation level is comparable to that of a Great Luo Golden Immortal. Even if Yang He were unharmed, he would not be a match for Shiqi Buddha.

"Heaven will not allow Yang He to die and perish!!!"

.........

When the Buddha of Corpse descended into the cycle of cause and effect, the physical body of the Corpse Deity was unable to resist the supernatural powers created by Shakyamuni and was easily controlled.

He gently touched the top of his head, and his white hair fell out by the roots.

Then he put his hands together and walked towards the Guantian Pavilion.

"To be chosen as a disciple by a sage, one's Dao heart must be as firm as a rock, unshaken even after dozens or hundreds of reincarnations."

The Tushita Palace in the cycle of reincarnation shows no signs of damage, and bloodstains are rarely seen.

"The ghost immortal incarnation will be handed over to Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva for refinement. If all goes well, they will be able to approach Saha (Primordial Golden Immortal) after the Peach Banquet."

"The silver lotus platform on which Immaculate Buddha never sat should be the one chosen between me and Ksitigarbha."

"kindness?"

When Shi Qifo arrived at Guantian Pavilion, he saw Yang He reclining and resting.

Yang He leaned back on the cloud couch, one hand supporting his head, the other casually flipping through a bamboo scroll. Beside him was a half-full pot of fine wine, his expression as leisurely as if he were taking a nap in his own backyard.

"You're here?" Yang He didn't even lift his eyelids, and said lazily, "Sit down, don't be shy."

The corpse abandoned the Buddha and stood frozen in place.

This is not right.

Beings in the cycle of cause and effect should be trapped in endless birth and death, experiencing despair in every life, until their consciousness finally collapses.

Even if Yang Hedao's mind is firm, shouldn't he still have some influence?
"you……"

The voice of the Buddha of Corpse Abandonment was hoarse, "How many times do you remember dying?"

Yang He finally raised his eyes, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "Three hundred and seventy-two times. The first time was when I was attacked by a magic weapon, the second time was when I was accidentally injured by a supernatural power, and the third time was when the Eight Trigrams Furnace collapsed and I was directly crushed underneath it, haha."

He recounted the events with great familiarity, even offering his own commentary: "The most painful one was the 149th time. I was figuring out how to integrate the magic weapon into my organs, and I tortured myself for half an hour before I finally died."

"you……"

Shi Qifo felt a sense of unease; it was as if Yang He was waiting for him to come knocking.

Yang He downed the fine wine in one gulp. "Is the thing in the Eight Trigrams Furnace related to Wukong?"

"it……"

Yang He was overjoyed and sensed the outside world through the incarnation of the Yellow-Eyebrowed King.

"I won't waste any more words with you, I... my disciple has arrived!"

"Listen!!"

The Buddha of Corpse Abandoned was unaffected by cause and effect and reincarnation, and a roar rang in his ears.

The roar echoed from the South Heavenly Gate, soaring straight into the sky.

"Here comes Old Sun!!!"

(End of this chapter)