Mythology

Chapter 497 The Inner Demon Enters the Game
As dawn broke and the first hint of light appeared, the market in the Kingdom of Women was already bustling with activity.

Yan Niangzi prepared the food in advance, and at the same time, more than a dozen stalls were set up. Except that they were all run by women, it was no different from an ordinary town.

"Second Girl, let the freshly kneaded dough rest for an hour or two."

Without raising her head, Lady Yan's voice was clear yet tinged with a hint of languor.

Second Sister responded, but her thoughts were already drifting to the Sixi Troupe in the west of the city. "Mother, I heard that the Sixi Troupe is opening tomorrow and there will be a grand performance."

"Where would we get extra money for you to see a play? Anyway, we get paid every month. Let's talk about it when spring arrives."

Er Yatou pouted, but didn't say anything more.

The worker who was unloading the goods secretly looked up, his gaze shifting between Lady Yan and Er Yatou.

A deep sense of bewilderment flickered in his eyes, but it vanished in an instant as he suppressed his distracting thoughts. As a long-term laborer in the market, his consciousness was becoming increasingly blurred.

In just two days, the guy had almost forgotten his original name.

The man wasn't afraid, after all, even his seven emotions and six desires were quietly fading away, and every now and then he could hear the croaking of toads coming from who-knows-where.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks as he was busy, and a clay pot had appeared in his stall without him noticing.

The shop assistant stared blankly at the earthenware pot. "Manager... this pot isn't ours."

"what?"

"A jar... a jar."

Yan Niangzi turned around with a slight change in expression and noticed that a yellowish-brown pottery jar, about a foot tall, had appeared in the corner of the stall. Strange patterns were carved on the jar, resembling distorted human faces.

"Mother, someone must have left it behind..."

As Er Yatou was speaking, she tried to grab the earthen pot, but Yan Niangzi quickly grabbed her.

"Second girl, don't be rude. That's the Grand Agricultural Office."

The jar was opened from the inside out, and to Er Yatou's horrified gaze, a slender, translucent hand reached out from inside.

Her arms were carved from the finest mutton-fat jade, with bones and blood vessels almost visible inside. Her fingers were long and slender, with cinnabar dots on her fingernails.

Open your five fingers.

The palm of her hand was actually a small, crimson peach-shaped mouth, its upper and lower jaws opening and closing, covered with fine, sharp teeth, seemingly chewing something out of thin air.

The mother and daughter turned deathly pale instantly, and after losing a lot of weight, they collapsed to the ground.

Er Yatou's cheeks became sunken, and a few white strands appeared in Yan Niangzi's carefully maintained black hair.

In a daze, the earthenware pot disappeared.

"Shopkeeper, are you alright?" The waiter helped the mother and daughter up.

Lady Yan managed to stand up, "It's alright, the Agricultural Bureau collects taxes every six months."

Her voice was hoarse as she comforted Er Yatou and then tidied her makeup. "Fortunately, we've been careful, so the tax for three people shouldn't be too much for us."

Er Yatou gradually regained some color in her face. Her eyes were fixed on the spot where the earthen pot had disappeared. Suddenly, she grabbed Yan Niangzi's sleeve and said, "Mother, it's not just for three people. The Agricultural Bureau took at least 20% more."

Lady Yan's eyes sharpened, and she quickly covered Er Yatou, looking around warily.

The morning market was still bustling with people, and the nearby stall owners were busy with their own things, so no one noticed them.

"We'll talk about it when we get home." Lady Yan turned to her shop assistant, "A-Fu, we're closing up shop early today. Go to the pharmacy in the east of the city and get two doses of Qi-nourishing soup."

Afu nodded and silently exhaled a wisp of medicinal power.

The medicine penetrated the bodies of the mother and daughter, restoring their energy and blood circulation.

Afu was naturally the role played by Yang He, and he then did as he was told without making a sound, constantly observing the farmhands in the market as he walked.

Unlike other shops, Lingzhi, the market's long-term worker, appeared unusually rigid.

Essentially, it was due to the influence of demons. Yang He even suspected that there was a tiger demon in the market of the deep Daughter Kingdom, which was able to turn the farmhands into cougars.

Those long-term laborers who had been in the market for a while were now just empty shells.

"Ah Fu is quite lucky; at least he won't be completely destroyed after I possessed him."

Having played a large number of permanent roles, Yang Hesheng has gradually mastered the rules. As long as he is not born while playing that role, he can collect the soul.

Human souls are an extremely scarce resource in the Myriad Transformations Heavenly Dao Field.

Even if Afu doesn't become an immortal, being a ghost cultivator shouldn't be a problem. He can live a happy and carefree life in the flesh-and-blood Taoist temple.

Yang He took out the pill he was carrying and swallowed it in one gulp; it was made from the blood of a celestial demon.

The pill exuded a faint demonic aura, and pupils began to grow on its surface. If it was not taken, it might actually become a demon after a hundred years.

"Well."

Yang He groaned as the blood of the Heavenly Demon merged into his flesh and bones.

Logically, Afu should have obtained a flawed Heavenly Demon body, but the result was unexpected; even after the pills were completely digested, there was no change whatsoever.

However, Yang He noticed that it seemed as if someone was watching Afu, and his spiritual vision slightly increased.

The spying clearly originates from the deep-seated matriarchal society.

"It's really weird. The people on the surface of the Women's Kingdom must be human, but from the beggar's perspective, the outsiders in the market are already half-human and half-demon."

Yang He squinted, having only figured out one thing so far.

All the professions on the surface of the Women's Kingdom are manifestations of the deeper deities and Buddhas, such as the Four Heavenly Kings of the Four Joys Troupe, the Longevity Immortal in the teahouse, and the Bodhisattva Pilanpo in the cloth shop...

The market is an exception; behind every stall there are demons.

"The fried food stall is probably associated with the toad demon. Never mind, let's leave it to fate whether it takes the bait or not. We still need to focus our attention on the Four Heavenly Kings."

Your character, the farmhand, has died; the story has ended.

Yang He decisively chose to fake his death, and after returning to the main world, he chose to enter the story again.

He repeated this three times, without making any specific selections, only choosing three farmhands to inherit the incomplete bodies of the Heavenly Demons. This was a blatant conspiracy; the only way for demons to leave the Deep Daughter Kingdom was to try possessing another body.

During each role I played, I could feel the impending calamity of human suffering.

As a result, the tribulation did not occur for a long time, causing Yang He to feel as if he was holding his breath and could only hope that he could overcome the tribulation by being in the deep Daughter Kingdom.

After repeatedly entering and exiting the world of historical allusions, time passed by unnoticed and it was already the day of the opening of the Sixi Troupe.

.........

Outside the opera house, crowds thronged, with thousands of people filling the long street, all eagerly anticipating the performance. The deafening sound of gongs and drums could be heard from afar.

The noise of the crowd reached its peak, and the stage was surrounded by layers upon layers of people, all eyes focused on the stage.

After exchanging pleasantries with the crowd, Zhou Fengxia gestured to Boss Song to lend a hand.

"Pull back the curtain, but be careful not to get in the way of the female actors."

"Song Qi?"

"Song Qi?!"

"Song...Yang He!!!"

As Zhou Fengxia called out, the name was changed from Song Qi to Yang He.

"I'm coming."

Yang He had already replaced Song Laoda and quickly stepped forward to tidy up the curtain. Soon after, the female actors began to take the stage one after another, which drew cheers from the crowd.

The opera is titled "The Tale of the Heavenly King of Growth Subduing Demons".

The female characters played various demons or people suffering from disasters, with Zhou Fengxia playing the Demon King, and Yang He playing the Heavenly King of Growth as the finale.

Yang He had no intention of doing things himself; besides, to get the fish to bite, one had to be willing to use bait.

After he finished his work, he mingled in the crowd to watch the opera. He had to admit that the opera performed by the Sixi Troupe did look quite authentic.

At the end of each round, the audience would throw their prize money onto the stage.

"The fluctuations of the spiritual vision are indeed subtle, and the yin energy is quite strong. Logically speaking, this is the best opportunity for the Four Heavenly Kings to seize the incarnation. As long as I interrupt it at the crucial moment and then resist, I can take their place." The opera reached a series of climaxes, and the female roles worked hard to cooperate in the performance.

Yang He could tell that the opera was about to end, but the Heavenly King of Growth was nowhere to be seen. Looking around, Qian Su seemed to have been staying in the side room the whole time.

"Yang He, come with me to the side room and bring Qian Su out."

"kindness."

Yang He followed closely behind Zhou Fengxia, taking advantage of the break between scenes to rush to the backyard.

Pushing open the door, a strong smell of blood hit me.

Qian Su was kneeling in front of the bronze mirror, his body covered in cold sweat, his muscles spasming and twitching. He only came to his senses when he heard the door open.

The bronze mirror reflected a hideous face with blue eyes, fangs, and glaring eyes!
"Qian Su, you..." Zhou Fengxia retreated in shock. Yang He knew that Qian Su's physical strength had reached the level of a Golden Immortal due to the backlash from the Four Heavenly Kings, but his soul could not control his body and was about to collapse.

The Four Heavenly Kings also desire physical bodies; their souls are merely impurities.

Qian Su grinned, his mouth almost splitting to his ears, but his question was heavily emphasized: "Manager Zhou, is it my turn?"

He slowly rose to his feet, his bones making a sickeningly loud cracking sound.

Zhou Fengxia then noticed that something was vaguely wriggling under Qian Su's loose opera robe.

It looks like it has more than two arms.

Zhou Fengxia subconsciously looked at the statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, then silently led Qian Su, realizing that the latter's unusual behavior was closely related to the gods and immortals.

The drumbeats suddenly quickened.

Qian Su, no, at this moment, the King of Growth, stepped onto the stage.

After all, from beginning to end, Qian Su was no different from the Heavenly King of Growth. The female actors were stunned and almost couldn't help but bow down in worship.

Yang He did not mistreat Qian Su, collecting the fragmented remnants of Qian Su's soul.

Bang bang bang.

With each step Qian Su took, the wooden planks of the stage creaked.

The people were completely unaware, instead staring at Qian Su with fascination, their eyes gleaming with fanaticism. No one even noticed that he was an outsider in the role.

"evil creature!"

With a furious shout from Qian Su, the demons and monsters portrayed by the female characters were thrown to the ground.

"You demons, wreaking havoc on the world, today I, in the name of Heaven, will punish you!!!"

Before he finished speaking, a sudden gust of cold wind swept through the theater, and amidst the swirling black mist, none of the female actors dared to step forward, leaving Qian Su to perform his solo act alone on stage.

The crowd grew increasingly excited, with some even kneeling and kowtowing, murmuring, "The Heavenly King has appeared!!"

As Qian Su moved about, his size grew larger and larger, and the facial tattoos on his skin shimmered with light, covering his entire body in a short time.

"cut!!!"

Qian Su suddenly leaped up and expanded violently in mid-air.

Yang He licked his lips, and the powerful ghost that had merged into Qian Su's body took effect. Through the blessing of the Yinjiao Divine Borrowing Method, the physical body became even more compatible with the Four Heavenly Kings.

puff!

Flesh and blood were torn apart, and six thick arms simultaneously emerged from Qian Su's shoulder blades and ribs!

Its neck was twisted and elongated, and four heads burst through the skin, their eyes wide with anger.

The four heads spoke at the same time.

"Holding fast to the nation, protecting the world, and guarding the East, the pipa tunes the harmony of Yin and Yang!"

"Let good roots flourish in the southern wilderness, and let the sharp blade be drawn to slay the unruly!"

"With broad eyes, I survey the world and guard the western frontier; with my precious umbrella spread wide, I avert calamity!"

"Well-informed about worldly affairs, guarding Beiman Mountain; the divine rat, with its spiritual insight, observes all directions!"

Qian Su's four heads completely transformed into the Four Heavenly Kings, and the crowd suddenly fell silent, everyone frozen in place as if time had stopped.

To be precise, the entire Kingdom of Women was in a state of utter silence, except for Yang He.

Many people still had the expression of their last moments.

Roar! ! !
The Four Heavenly Kings roared to the sky, their bodies riddled with cracks, somewhat overwhelmed. However, their escape from the deep Daughter Kingdom went relatively smoothly, and Yang He could sense their ecstatic joy.

Yang He decisively abandoned the role of Song Qi and returned to the main world.

Your character, the opera house worker, has died; the story has ended.

Then, I brought up the panel again and spent a full ten million Spirit Vision to finally refresh and see a purple light.

[Four Heavenly Kings (Purple): You are the remnant soul of one of the Four Heavenly Kings, about to escape the River of Mother and Child by possessing another body. However, you can also sense that the River of Mother and Child's constraints are still omnipresent.]

The moment Yang He was confirmed to play one of the Four Heavenly Kings, the perspective shifted from Qian Su's.

The consciousness of the Four Heavenly Kings still lingered, and with their mouths open, they shouted: "The Four Saints descend to the mortal realm, their might is awe-inspiring! Demons and monsters, do not be so arrogant!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang He took over the physical body.

"Stupid."

Yang He's spiritual vision surged wildly, and countless black wisps mixed with the aura of the Void bound him, seemingly pulling him little by little into the abyss.

He made no attempt to resist, allowing the black energy to seep into his bone marrow.

"Hehe, hurry up and take me to the real Kingdom of Women, so I can see the queen's beauty."

[Should I generate the permanent character <Four Heavenly Kings>?]

[The permanent characters <Namo Immaculate Ancient Buddha> and <Four Heavenly Kings> are compatible and meet the fusion requirements. Would you like to spend 500 points of Spirit Vision to fuse them?]

[The permanent characters <Child of the Bell> and <Four Heavenly Kings> are compatible and meet the fusion requirements. Would you like to spend 500 points of Spirit Vision to fuse them?]

"Integrate into the chime-beating boy."

Yang He did not hesitate at all; the Four Heavenly Kings were completely useless to the Immaculate Buddha.

Boom! ! !
Boundless black energy gathered and transformed into countless limbs that grabbed Yang He. The surrounding scenery became dreamlike, as if they were about to return to the deep Daughter Kingdom.

Sudden.

Yang He felt an indescribable pain, as if his body and soul were being torn apart.

"Ahhh!"

The body and soul were split in two. The human part returned to normal, but the four heads and eight arms disappeared.

Yang He gasped for breath and knelt on the stage. The Kingdom of Women returned to its lively state, and the crowd applauded as silver coins and music were tossed into the air.

His expression shifted between anger and uncertainty as he failed to force his way into the innermost layer of the Women's Kingdom.

And... a human catastrophe has begun.

Yang He thus understood that the so-called human tribulation refers to the incarnation turning against the true body, and the four Heavenly Kings that were separated from it are his next three tribulations.

Humanity suffers calamities, and the body retaliates, its nature condensed from the evil thoughts of the true self and the Dao heart.

Stealing the magic is difficult, but the incarnation will perfectly inherit the power of all supernatural abilities.

Reincarnation is difficult, and to transform into an immortal being is extremely challenging and perilous.

Yang He's mouth was slightly open.

"The problem is that my true form and my avatar are separated by the yin and yang realms. My avatar has gone to the deepest Daughter Kingdom, and I can't go there. It's like an unsolvable dead end."

"Hiss, will the avatar go on a killing spree in the deepest Daughter Kingdom?"

"This...this is not me undergoing tribulation, it is clearly that group of immortals and Buddhas undergoing tribulation."

(End of this chapter)