Mythology

Chapter 465 Yang He vs. the Great Master (Part 2)

The night falls and the lanterns come on.

As the capital city of the Great Minister in the mortal realm, Qi City has a permanent population of around three million, with countless merchants and travelers coming and going every day.

Even though it was almost 7 p.m., the streets were still bustling with people.

The air was filled with the sounds of vendors hawking their wares and chatting, the scent of cosmetics mingling with the aroma of perfume. The streets were lined with stalls, and the lights would continue to twinkle until midnight.

Zhou Si walked briskly, and the passing vendors all chose to give way.

His attire revealed him to be a scoundrel in charge of collecting bribes for the local underworld, but his hurried demeanor suggested he was in a panic.

"Master Zhou, we've reserved two bolts of newly arrived silk for you!"

The shopkeeper greeted him warmly, as they had a good relationship, and reached out to stuff the cloth into Zhou Si's arms.

But when she accidentally touched Zhou Si, a bone-chilling coldness spread through her skin.

Zhou Si snapped out of his daze, but his attention wasn't on the silk at all; his sunken eyes looked like he hadn't slept well for several days.

"Let's do it another day, I have something to do and I'll have to go now."

The shopkeeper found it strange. Zhou Si was known for his greed for small gains, and he would usually be unable to resist buying silk.

He instinctively leaned out the window and saw Zhou Si stop in place as he passed the street corner.

"Could something have happened to Blackwater? No..."

The shopkeeper shuddered. Gang warfare was commonplace and had a profound impact on small merchants like them.

He instinctively wanted to call out to Zhou Si, but his pupils suddenly contracted.

Zhou Si remained motionless, but his neck tilted forward at an odd angle, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed repeatedly with gurgling sounds.

The shopkeeper also noticed that Zhou Si's exposed skin was covered in goosebumps.

The densely packed particles evenly covered the surface, wriggling as if they were alive, and gleaming with a bluish-white sheen under the dim light.

"This...this is..."

The shopkeeper was so frightened that his teeth chattered. The more he looked, the more the goosebumps seemed to resemble... insect eggs.

He scratched his chest, his scalp tingling, feeling as if a million ants were crawling on his skin. Looking down, he saw goosebumps rising on his skin.

The discomfort intensified, accompanied by an indescribable thirst and hunger.

Immediately afterwards, his consciousness fell into a daze, and as he watched Zhou Si disappear, the sudden sense of shock intensified.

boom! !

At this moment, the shop door was pushed open, and four constables dressed in black entered in single file.

The constables moved in perfect unison, clearly having known about the situation beforehand. Two of them were even carrying a coffin covered in red thread.

The head constable raised his hand and flicked out a yellow talisman, which was then stuck to the chest of the cloth shop owner.

"How many people are there now? How come it's spreading like a plague?"

"Seventy-three people."

The old constable said in a deep voice, "Stop talking nonsense, seal it off immediately, and report to the imperial court as soon as you find the source, otherwise..."

His words stopped abruptly.

Before the constables could put the cloth shop owner into the coffin, his body began to convulse violently, and fist-sized bumps appeared on his skin.

The bulge seemed to wriggle as if it were alive, causing the cloth shopkeeper to make a gurgling sound and drool uncontrollably from the corners of his mouth.

"Back off!"

The old constable shouted sternly, while taking out a handful of cinnabar from his pocket and scattering it into the air.

The cloth shop owner became visibly thinner, as if he had been infected by something unclean, losing twenty or thirty pounds in the blink of an eye.

puff.

His left eye burst open, and a bluish-white larva poked its head out of its eye socket.

The old constable recognized that the larva was a cicada in its newly hatched stage, a nymph, but it was surprisingly large, with eye tissue still attached to its mouthparts.

"Hurry up!!"

The chirping of insects continued, and the shopkeeper's chest cavity collapsed, his ribs unable to bear the weight, and one could vaguely see the densely packed insect eggs hatching inside.

"Seal the coffin!"

The constables hurriedly stuffed the cloth shop owner into the coffin, wrapped it with red thread a dozen times, and drew a talisman with cinnabar, which immediately slowed down the commotion.

"Whether we can save our lives is another matter, but we must get the court to increase its manpower."

"The culprit must be an insect demon; we can't do it on our own."

As the old constable spoke, he looked out the window. Before he knew it, night had fallen. The other constables did not respond; they all stared blankly.

The whole city was silent, with only the chirping of cicadas audible.

They saw that the trees not far away were covered with cicadas; to be precise, the number of cicadas was like that of a locust plague.

The capital has fallen.

The old constable scratched his arm, revealing goosebumps all over.

.........

Zhou Si huddled in a dark alley corner, his thin body trembling uncontrollably, his fingers digging deep into his arm, leaving bloody marks on his skin.

"I clearly... I clearly did as you said, so why can't I achieve enlightenment?"

He mumbled nervously, his voice hoarse and inhuman.

“The cultivator must choose a gravesite for seclusion and swallow bitter root water every night until he dreams of himself gestating a nymph. In the dark of night, he crawls naked to climb a withered tree, forms the shell-breaking seal, and takes the form of a cicada and monkey.”

"I didn't achieve enlightenment! I didn't achieve enlightenment at all!!!"

Zhou Si coughed violently and vomited a clump of acidic liquid containing insect eggs.

"I must be crazy. How could I believe that the immortals and Buddhas in my dream taught me the way? Now I am not only doomed to die, but I will also suffer the torment of being eaten by swarms of insects."

He collapsed to his knees, his forehead pressed against the damp ground.

Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the eaves, outlining a gaunt figure.

suddenly.

A thin crack appeared on the skin of Zhou Si's neck, and a bluish-white cicada slowly emerged, replacing the original left eyeball.

In the newborn compound eyes, the brightly lit streets in the distance are reflected.

The coldness in his eyes revealed that Zhou Si had been possessed by another consciousness, which was observing the world.

"The mortal realm..."

Zhou Si couldn't help but gasp for breath, his brows furrowed with excitement.

"The mortal realm is truly amazing!!"

"It's even more resource-rich than what Hui Chanzi mentioned; it's practically a paradise on earth!!!"

All practitioners of the Golden Cicada Method take the name Golden Cicada as their Daoist title. However, to distinguish themselves, they also commonly refer to themselves as various cicadas.

The fact that Hui Chanzi descended to the mortal realm three years ago gave their Chantan Temple an advantage.

Now, a total of twenty-seven cicadas have descended, more than enough to take over the mortal world.

"The Chantan Temple does not allow the large-scale killing of mortals. It's alright. I will only consume a million. I will never be greedy. Amitabha."

Hui Chanzi mentioned that some mortals, due to some unknown calamity, were born with immortal bodies.

Qing Chanzi looked around, her upper and lower jaws rubbing together unconsciously. Hui Chanzi's description of the mortal realm was definitely an understatement; there were far too few immortal bodies there.

Of the nearly three million people in the capital, the number of immortal bodies was a staggering 120,000.

Hahahaha.

Wonderful! !
"If I devour them, my cultivation level will surely advance further, and seizing this opportunity might even make transcendence possible!!!"

Qing Chanzi laughed wildly, realizing that he had the majority of the mortals in the capital under his control.

"Grey Cicada also said that the forces in the mortal realm should not be underestimated, and that there are even quite a few cultivators who have reached the level of the Corruption Ghost (fusion stage). How come we haven't seen a single one?"

Where is Gu Xian?

"I'm afraid he's already suffered a backlash from the temple and gone mad from his cultivation."

Qing Chanzi has been an immortal for two hundred years. Even if he has not made any progress, he is still not comparable to any ancient immortal. What is ridiculous is that the ancient immortal still maintains his Daoist temple and tries to communicate with the Heavenly Dao.

To communicate with the Way of Heaven?
That's an old almanac from a long time ago.

It's been three or four thousand years, hasn't it?

With her preconceived notions, Qing Chanzi disregarded the forces of the mortal realm and found it strange that there wasn't a single cultivator in the capital.

"First, we must rebuild the body and soul, as this environment is not suitable for the Chantan Temple."

He looked up at the sky, where tens of thousands of cicadas had gathered into a dark cloud that blotted out the sun, their wings vibrating and emitting a buzzing sound.

"Come!!"

The cicada burrowed out of Zhou Si's body, and the cicada, carrying yin energy, cascaded down like a waterfall.

Flesh and bones continued to grow, and he underwent repeated molting processes, gradually transforming from an insect form into a flawless man.

Just as the body and soul were about to be reshaped, the dark clouds showed signs of dissipating.

Qing Chanzi discovered that the Yin energy near the capital had been depleted.

After he descended to the mortal realm, to ensure that he would not fall into the endless hell again, he dared not even guide the slightest bit of the yin energy from the shallow hell.

"What a barren, godforsaken place!"

"I can't understand how so many immortal bodies could have been created."

Qing Chanzi cursed under his breath and subconsciously tried to mobilize the Yin energy within a ten-mile radius, only to find that there was not a trace of Yin energy within a thousand miles, let alone ten miles.

Logically speaking, no matter how barren the mortal realm is, yin energy should continue to grow.

"No!!!" The Twenty-Seven Cicadas were distributed throughout the territory of Da Si, mainly to find out if there were any other ancient immortals in the mortal world. However, Qing Chanzi just learned that the Yin energy in the territory of Da Si had been completely drained!
This is... utterly terrifying! How could a true immortal possibly accomplish this?!
"Who?"

Qing Chanzi suddenly turned her head and sensed that someone was watching her.

At the entrance of the dark alley, a figure appeared out of nowhere, casting a long, distorted shadow in the moonlight.

He wore ordinary coarse cloth clothes, and his face was so plain that he was easily forgotten.

But those eyes, like an abyss, devoured the surrounding light.

"Are you... an ancient immortal?"

"Don't you recognize me? Oh, all of you Jin Chanzi look the same."

"Speaking of which, are all bald monks who practice Buddhism shaped like maggots? Otherwise, why would they like to lay eggs everywhere? It's disgusting."

Qing Chanzi's voice was stuck in her throat, feeling an indescribable pressure. As she approached step by step, cold sweat dripped down her face.

The other party is by no means some pedantic and ignorant ancient immortal.

Could it be that he has already separated from the Daoist temple and then adapted to the current Dao in just two years?

Qing Chanzi suppressed his distracting thoughts. All he needed to do next was stall for time. The ancient immortal was too busy to attend to the other twenty-six cicadas at the same time.

Before long, the landscape of the mortal realm will undergo a complete and dramatic change.

Yang He leaned against the wall and asked slowly, "Tell me in detail about the situation of your Deep-Level Grand Masters? I might give you a quick answer."

Qing Chanzi's face was ashen as his newly formed flesh and blood began to rot.

One by one, the cicadas in mid-air fell to the ground and turned to ashes.

Qing Chanzi feigned composure and said, "We come from the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. We are disciples of the Chantan Temple belonging to Mount Ling. We have come to help mortals cross the sea of ​​suffering."

Chantan Temple.

After pondering it several times, Yang He recalled that Tang Sanzang was called the Sandalwood Merit Buddha after he became a Buddha.

If Tang Sanzang were to achieve enlightenment, wouldn't that mean the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures still exists in the world of legends, and what exactly was Shakyamuni up to?

As for the paradise mentioned by Qing Chanzi, it should be a newly established place by ghost and god cultivators.

Immortals and Buddhas have become part of the main world. The Pure Land and the Heavenly Court have been buried in the course of history, leaving only the usurper.

Yang He continued to probe, "Who is behind the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss? Is it Ajivijaya?"

"Why should the ancient immortals be so attached? Our journey is to welcome the arrival of ghosts and gods in the mortal world. Even if we die and our cultivation dissipates, we cannot stop the inevitable trend."

Qing Chanzi saw that Yang He did not speak, believing that he had grasped the latter's weakness.

"Ancient Immortal, why not join the Sandalwood Temple and cultivate the Great Dao together?"

In just a few words, Qing Chanzi's tone changed several times. The fear she had shown at the beginning was gone, and now only a trace of pity remained.

"You'll eventually go astray if you keep groping your way forward; only the Pure Land can guide you..."

Yang He's smile faded as he heard the rustling of cicadas, a sound that permeated not only the capital but the entire territory of the Grand Commandery.

The thoughts formed by the cicada's chirping have penetrated deep into endless hell.

It seems to be pulling some indescribable ghosts and spirits down to the mortal realm.

Qing Chanzi couldn't help but chuckle, "Ancient Immortal, although your cultivation is high, it is ultimately an old method. Only the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss can accommodate you."

"You may choose to become my disciple, and I will guide you into the orthodox lineage of the Chantan Temple."

He believed that Yang He had no choice. After all, the fall of the mortal realm was inevitable, so what was the use of guarding this treasure mountain of the mortal realm alone? Did he really think he could fight against the paradise on his own?

The faint chirping of cicadas echoed from all directions.

"Look at these mortals."

Qing Chanzi pointed to the unconscious crowd on the street, "They will soon become the most devout believers; the tide has turned."

"maybe."

Qing Chanzi was surprised by Yang He's calm response.

"I'm curious, do you have a history spanning three thousand years? Do you have any written records about the Great Kalpa? Do you know the whereabouts of the sages? Have you heard of any of their names?"

Qing Chanzi was terrified, even though she kept telling herself this in her heart.

The ancient immortal was merely putting on a brave face.

Yang He's aura became unstable, and eyeballs of varying sizes emerged from the surface of his skin. He then turned around and said, "Have you heard of the immortal name of the Netherworld Patrol Sea Ghost Yuan True Lord?"

"Or you could call him Ghost Lord."

Qing Chanzi's reaction was somewhat unexpected by Yang He; her pupils suddenly contracted.

He instinctively showed fear.

boom! !

Yang He's body suddenly disintegrated, turning into a cloud of dust.

In an instant, the streets and alleys were filled with countless eyes, and a piercing shriek nearly caused Qing Chanzi to perish.

Qingchan could not catch Yang He's trace, but felt that Yang He was everywhere.

"No!"

All the cicadas flew around wildly, and then a series of explosions rang out, with all the cicadas within the capital city area exploding at the same time.

Blood splattered everywhere.

Ordinary people collapsed to the ground, but after the insect eggs were removed, the three yang fires immediately returned to normal.

Qing Chanzi knelt down helplessly, trying to activate the Yin energy but failing. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that his body and soul were entirely composed of eyeballs.

"Who...who are you?! What is your relationship with Ghost Lord?!"

His questioning was hysterical, and the thoughts in his mind kept growing.

At the very edge of hell, floated countless enormous, indescribable corpses, among which were those of Ghost True Lords, and unlike the others, many cultivators felt…

Ghost Lord is still alive and is revitalizing with the passage of time.

Yang He's figure re-formed under the moonlight, dragging a string of bloody heads. At this moment, the capital city returned to its bustling prosperity.

The arrival of the high-level cultivators seemed to have caused no ripples.

It's all because of the Ancient Immortal!!!
Qing Chanzi turned pale with fright. The heads on the skulls were contorted in a grotesque manner, and thick black blood was still dripping from the broken necks. Their bloodshot eyes were wide open, as if they had witnessed a great horror before their death.

"This...this is impossible..."

Qing Chanzi looked at the familiar heads; they were all from the twenty-six cicadas that had descended to the mortal realm together.

What he found incredible was how Yang He could travel tens of thousands of miles in an instant and still pinpoint the location of all the Golden Cicadas immediately.

boom.

Yang He threw the head to the ground, making a dull thud.

The head rolled to Qing Chanzi's feet, its lips still moving as it chanted scriptures.

"You disciples of Chantan Temple are quite united."

Yang He stomped on Qing Chanzi's head until it was smashed, then looked down at her from above. "Even in her dying moments, she was asking me what my connection was with Ghost True Lord."

Qing Chanzi trembled all over, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.

He looked up at Yang He, whose ordinary face now seemed more terrifying than a demon from hell. "Don't kill me. The arrival of the Great Master is a foregone conclusion."

Fearing that Yang He would perceive her as a threat, Qing Chanzi knelt down and added, "I can introduce you. The Grand Master will accept you and may even grant you some land to house your pilgrims."

Yang He said with a half-smile, "Why do you think I would kill you?"

"You...you really want to protect these mortals?"

Qing Chanzi felt as if he had heard a huge joke, "They are nothing but incense offerings, resources for the path of cultivation!"

"We are the same kind, we are the same path!!!"

Yang He did not answer, his expression remaining unchanged.

"No! Wait!" Qing Chanzi suddenly screamed, "I know a secret!"

Yang He paused slightly.

As if grasping at the last straw, Qing Chanzi spoke rapidly: "Every force in the deep hell worships ghosts and gods, and our Chantan Temple is the chief incense burner of the Ghost Buddha."

He pondered for a few moments, "It is said that the disappearance of the Yin-Yang division is because all the ghosts, immortals, and Buddhas unanimously wanted to escape from hell."

"Go on, I'm listening."

"There are rumors that... that a new great calamity is about to begin."

As they spoke, the wind and clouds rose in the air, and a faint sandalwood fragrance filled the air.

"The new version is updating so damn fast."

Yang He looked up at the sky. As the sun set and the moon rose, a faint light appeared, hanging high in the clouds.

This attracted countless mortals to point fingers and gossip, causing chaos within the territory of Dasi.

"Your chief incense master has arrived."

Yang He grabbed Qing Chanzi's head and climbed upwards step by step.

Qing Chanzi was stunned for a moment before realizing that her perception was flawed.

Ancient immortals possessed pure bodies and souls, and were indeed not of the same kind as them.

Even though they had already become immortals, the ancient immortals always chose to be human, without even a trace of changing their cultivation methods.

How could there be immortals and Buddhas in this world with such unwavering faith in Taoism?

wrong.

He is also... a ghost or god.

In a sense, they are the spirits and deities worshipped by all mortals.

(End of this chapter)