Mythology

Chapter 516 Death is only the beginning for Lion Camel Ridge

The scorching sun beat down on the parched earth.

The four pilgrims traveled across the boundless wilderness, surrounded only by the howling of the wind whipping up yellow sand and the delirious ramblings of Pigsy.

Tang Sanzang's face was withered, but his eyes were unusually clear. Occasionally, he would whisper a few words to Sha Wujing, who was carrying the luggage beside him.

Sun Wukong, leaning on his golden cudgel, followed behind, his head bobbing up and down as if he might fall asleep at any moment. Only when he occasionally opened his eyelids did the light of his fiery eyes flash by.

His cultivation had reached the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, and he was only one opportunity away from becoming a Primordial Golden Immortal.

"Wukong, is there a family ahead where we can ask for some dry food?"

"Yes, but the village is now abandoned."

After Sun Wukong finished speaking, he heard Tang Sanzang let out a long sigh.

They have been traveling west for nearly twenty years. The closer they get to Mount Ling, where the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is located, the fewer people there are. Now, it has reached the point where nine out of ten houses are empty, and bones are scattered along the roadside.

Strangely enough, they used to frequently encounter demons whose cultivation was comparable to that of immortals and Buddhas, but now there are no traces of people for miles around, and no demons at all.

Before long, a dilapidated village came into view.

The mud-brick houses were dilapidated, the fences were scattered, and there was no sound of chickens or dogs.

In the deathly silence of the night, only a faint, almost inaudible groan could be heard from a dilapidated hut.

As the four approached, they noticed an old woman curled up on the earthen bed, skin and bones, her empty, cloudy eyes unable to see.

She was on her deathbed, but she perked up when she heard footsteps outside the door.

Especially upon hearing Tang Sanzang's deep chanting, it was as if he had grasped at the last straw, and he actually struggled to get up and bow.

Tang Sanzang quickly helped the old woman up, "Old woman, this humble monk is from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East. May I ask where the rest of the villagers are?"

"So you're just a driver passing by?"

The old woman gasped for breath, her throat so dry it felt like sandpaper was being rubbed together. "Please, have mercy, save me... save this old woman! I don't want to die, I don't want to go... I don't want to go to Lion Camel Ridge..."

Without hesitation, Tang Sanzang used his small knife to cut his wrist, and the blood, which smelled faintly of medicine, dripped onto the old woman's lips.

Sun Wukong did not stop him, seemingly already used to Tang Sanzang's behavior.

The old woman licked her lips, and a glimmer of light seemed to return to her cloudy eyes, but her fear only intensified, and she kept muttering that it was too late.

"Lion Camel Ridge? Where is that?"

Tang Sanzang asked softly, while gesturing to Sha Wujing to fetch water to wipe the old woman.

"Everyone is at Lion Camel Ridge, that place!!"

The old woman seemed to recall something extremely terrifying. Her withered hands gripped the sleeve of Tang Sanzang's monk's robe tightly as she trembled and said, "Those villagers who were about to die all dreamed of Lion Camel Ridge. Without exception, after their deaths, Zhang San'er, Zhang Tiezhu..."

"What nonsense! I, Old Sun, with my fiery eyes, didn't see Lion Camel Ridge."

Sun Wukong ignored it dismissively, while Sha Wujing massaged the old woman's blood and qi.

The old woman continued, "There are so many demons in Lion Camel Ridge! The mountains are piled up with bones, and the ridge is covered with flesh and blood! Help! Help!!"

She coughed violently, still muttering, "After death, I don't go to the underworld. All souls in the world will be reborn in Lion Camel Ridge, never to be reincarnated. I won't go! I won't go!!"

Tang Sanzang frowned, wanting to ask more detailed questions about Lion Camel Ridge.

Suddenly, the old woman's body stiffened, her five fingers gripping Tang Seng's sleeve tightened abruptly, her eyes bulged out as if she saw something extremely terrifying right in front of her, and a gurgling sound came from her throat.

"No...don't grab me!!!"

Sun Wukong looked around in surprise and uncertainty. After a shrill scream, the old woman's head lolled to the side, her last bit of life was completely extinguished, and her arms slumped down limply.

The hut was deathly silent, except for Pigsy outside the door, who was chuckling to himself, seemingly oblivious to what was going on.

Tang Sanzang slowly closed the old woman's eyes, silently stood up, and looked at the dim sky outside the door, his gaze seemingly trying to pierce through the vast wilderness and reach the so-called Lion Camel Ridge.

Sha Wujing whispered, "Master, you can't stay in one place for long."

Tang Sanzang nodded, took one last look at the dead old woman, turned and walked out of the thatched hut, the shadow stretching long in the blazing sun.

A deep unease arose in his heart, and the words "Lion Camel Ridge" echoed in his mind.

"Wukong, what do you think?"

"Ah."

Sun Wukong sneered and said indifferently, "They're probably after us. Lion Camel Ridge is probably similar to the Women's Kingdom. The immortals and Buddhas are starting to cause trouble in the mortal world again."

Sha Wujing's pupils contracted slightly; his telepathic abilities reacted very violently.

"Look, who is that?"

He pointed into the distance, and the four of them noticed that they had only walked two or three miles when, in the middle of nowhere, a melon stall had appeared under the shade of a tree.

A middle-aged man with a protruding belly sat behind the stall, fanning himself with a straw hat, a greasy and exaggerated smile plastered on his face.

The dozen or so watermelons in front of him looked green and plump, but they seemed particularly out of place in this desolate place.

"Elders, you must be tired from your journey!"

The middle-aged man took the initiative to greet him, his voice so loud it was almost grating.

"Come, come, try my melon. It's sandy and very sweet. Quench your thirst before you continue your journey!"

Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together, about to return the greeting, when he saw Sun Wukong suddenly take a step forward.

Sun Wukong opened his fiery eyes, and two beams of golden light fixed on the watermelons.

What watermelons? They are clearly swollen, bluish human heads, with hair strands wrapped around them like watermelon vines, and blood slowly seeping from the severed necks!

"Back off! It looks like demons that will plague the villagers have come knocking!!!"

With a roar, Sun Wukong brandished his Ruyi Jingu Bang (Golden Cudgel), shouting, "Hey! What kind of demon are you?! How dare you mock your grandfather here!"

The fat man was not afraid at all; on the contrary, his smile became even brighter, his mouth stretching almost to his ears, revealing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth.

He slowly stood up and patted his belly.

"Oh dear, what a fierce monkey! I kindly gave directions to sell melons, why are you trying to beat and kill me?"

He tilted his head, his gaze passing over Sun Wukong to look at Tang Sanzang, "Elder, if we go another eighty li ahead, we'll reach the Lion Camel Ridge area. That's a great place, hehehehe..."

"Give directions? Direct your ancestors!!"

Enraged, Sun Wukong swung his golden cudgel at the middle-aged man without another word, and smashed it down on his head!

The wind howled, containing the immense magical power of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, enough to shatter mountains and split the earth!

However, the middle-aged man remained smiling and silent, casually waving his hand.

There was no earth-shattering collision.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment, and then, a few crisp snapping sounds were heard!

Without warning, the heads of Tang Sanzang, Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing shot into the sky, blood gushing from their necks like a fountain, and their headless bodies lay stiffly on their backs.

A cloud of dust was raised.

The middle-aged man didn't even look at the corpse; he simply clasped his hands together.

"Amitabha……"

He chanted a Buddhist prayer, mixed with a chilling mockery.

The middle-aged man swayed his obese body and strolled leisurely into the distance, humming a strange tune that could be vaguely discerned as a verse often uttered by Maitreya Buddha.

"He laughs as soon as he opens his mouth, laughing at the past and present, and taking everything with a laugh."

"A large belly can hold everything, including heaven and earth, but it cannot tolerate what is not tolerated by the human world."

"Please step into the trap!"

The song faded into the distance, eventually disappearing into the scorching, distorted air. The corpses in the wilderness vanished, leaving only the watermelons attracting a flock of carrion birds that circled overhead.

Drain the estuary.

The streets were devoid of their usual hustle and bustle, only the mournful sound of the wind carried on the breeze.

The monk walked slowly through the streets and alleys, wearing a kasaya, his face shrouded in a constantly flowing halo of brilliance, making it impossible to see his specific features.

Wherever it went, a cloyingly sweet and nauseating fragrance filled the air.

"Amitabha."

The monk opened and closed his lips, not to chant scriptures, but to spit out one after another of dazzling agate beads. The agate beads were about the size of a fingernail, with smooth surfaces, but inside there were countless tiny insects wriggling, like insect eggs.

The agate rolled to the ground, making a crisp sound.

It then dispersed into wisps of mist, seeping into the surroundings.

Immediately, the people curled up on the ground in agony, vomiting violently. But what they vomited was not filth, but large amounts of low-quality agate, which accumulated more and more.

The monk ignored the tragic scene around him and walked straight to the Erlang Zhenjun Temple.

The temple was quiet, with incense smoke swirling around it.

He stopped in front of the temple gate, looking at the statue of Erlang Shen inside the hall, who was holding a three-pointed double-edged sword. The flowing halo on his face twisted and formed a seemingly ambiguous laughing expression.

hum.

The statue trembled, its eyes snapped open, and burst forth with dazzling divine light!

The will of the Great Luo Golden Immortal descended with a roar. It was Yang Jian, who was thousands of miles away, who was awakened by the strangeness at Guanjiang Estuary and sent his divine thoughts here!

"You monster! How dare you harm the people of Guanjiang Estuary?!"

The statue emitted thunder, its features lifelike, glaring angrily at the monk.

The monk merely tilted his head slightly when faced with the miraculous appearance of Yang Jian.

next moment.

The monk's entire body, along with his robe, silently disintegrated, turning into ashes that shimmered with the brilliant light of agate!

The ashes seemed to possess a life of their own, and before Yang Jian could react, they burrowed into the mouth and nose of the statue, transforming into agate.

Yang Jian's true form, thousands of miles away, suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze filled with astonishment, and he could clearly feel something entering his body.

Before he could even circulate his profound energy, a sharp pain shot through his abdomen.

boom.

Suddenly, my vision spun around me.

Yang Jian's abdomen exploded, his internal organs scattered all over the ground. Before he died, he saw his body torn to pieces, and what gushed out of the wounds was not blood, but agate that shimmered with the same brilliant light.

Consciousness quickly dissipated.

On his deathbed, Yang Jian took out the Dharma Seal, but he only had time to transmit three short words.

"Medicine Buddha".

The Medicine Buddha clasped his hands together, nodded slightly to Yang Jian's corpse, and murmured in a sorrowful yet distorted tone.

"The pure light of crystal illuminates the emptiness of the five aggregates, thus transcending all suffering and distress."

His figure vanished silently, and Yang Jian's body disappeared without a trace.

.........

Flaming Mountain.

The banquet was in full swing, and the cave was filled with steam.

The Bull Demon King, his face flushed, raised a huge wine cup and spoke in a booming voice: "Third Prince! I, the old Bull, am a rough man, but I admire heroes like you the most! My son, though young, has already inherited some of the true skills, but he lacks a master to guide him..."

He patted Red Boy beside him.

Red Boy, unusually, put aside his arrogance, dressed neatly, and looked at Nezha with a shy yet expectant smile.

Princess Iron Fan covered her mouth and chuckled softly, echoing her in a low voice.

For Red Boy, becoming a disciple of Nezha would be an immense opportunity.

Looking across the Three Realms, there are very few Great Luo Golden Immortals, let alone Nezha who has reached such a level in just over a thousand years. He can expect to become a Primordial Golden Immortal.

Nezha held his wine cup, looking at the happy family in front of him, especially Red Boy, whose appearance was completely different from that of Taiyi Zhenren in his memory. He was filled with mixed feelings.

He recalled Yang He's words: if he wanted to awaken Red Boy's memories of his past life, he should take Red Boy to find him; if not, then he should give up.

Perhaps, forgetting the past is a better choice for Red Boy in front of us?

Nezha drank the wine in his cup in one gulp and said to the Bull Demon King, "I appreciate your kindness, but I am by nature undisciplined and have too much killing karma. I am really not cut out to be a teacher and I am afraid that I will mislead my nephew. Let's just drop this matter."

A hint of disappointment flashed across the Bull Demon King's face, but he quickly laughed heartily again: "It's alright, it's because you think highly of me, Third Prince, that you're drinking with us here! Come, come, let's drink another three hundred cups!"

Red Boy obediently poured Nezha a full glass of wine.

After several rounds of drinks, Nezha got up to take his leave.

"Thank you for your hospitality. I must take my leave now."

The Bull Demon King and his family hurriedly got up to see them off, but as soon as they reached the entrance of the cave, Nezha's expression changed slightly, and his magic seal began to tremble violently.

A brief warning came from Yang Jian within the Dharma Seal.

"Medicine Buddha? What does that mean? Is Buddhism launching an attack?!"

Nezha's expression changed drastically. He immediately tried to contact Yang Jian, but found that the stone had disappeared into the sea and the Guanjiang Estuary was completely silent!
Alarm bells rang in his mind, and without hesitation, he summoned the Universe Ring to protect himself, the Hun Tian Ling wrapped around his body, and the Fire-Tipped Spear was already in his hand!

"kindness?"

Nezha subconsciously looked up and saw that the entire sky had turned into a glassy color at some point.

"Ugh!"

Nezha didn't even have time to escape; he only felt an irresistible, glazed flame suddenly ignite around him, and the pain penetrated to his very bones.

Under the incredulous gazes of the three demon kings, the body of the Great Luo Golden Immortal Nezha rapidly dissipated from the edges, like a piece of paper being set ablaze.

In the blink of an eye, Nezha vanished completely before their eyes, leaving only a small wisp of glass-colored embers drifting to the ground.

.........

at the same time.

Yang He received Yang Jian's telepathic message and immediately noticed that Yang Jian and Nezha's magic seals were becoming blurred, realizing that Lion Camel Ridge had likely begun.

"The immortals and Buddhas are really impatient. I just became a Hunyuan Golden Immortal, and they're already trying to reap the rewards. Hehe, let's give it a try then."

Yang He immediately cut off his life force and prepared to return to the main world.

The Ghost Lord instantly dissipated into Yin energy.

Since Yang He didn't know the exact location of Lion Camel Ridge, he decided to play an ordinary role for the time being to find out the situation before making a decision.

This is how I have dealt with many situations in the past.

Yang He knew that the six Buddhist saints would definitely cause trouble, but it was difficult for saints to descend to the mortal world, and the Primordial Golden Immortal should be able to protect himself.

"What the hell..."

Yang He's interface did not display any prompts; instead, his consciousness remained in the world of classical allusions.

I don't know how much time has passed, it's like being reincarnated.

Yang He arrived at Lion Camel Ridge in a strange and inexplicable way.

(End of this chapter)