Mythology

Chapter 543 The Heavenly Dao Has Existed for Two Thousand Years

Zhunti vanished without a trace.

With one less Quasi-Saint to suppress in the Myriad Transformations Heavenly Realm, the burden on the Myriad Transformations Tree has been greatly reduced, but it is still in a state of constant collapse.

"At least we have some time to catch our breath."

Yang He looked disappointed. It was a pity that Zhunti's cultivation level did not naturally become equal to his true form after he became a permanent character. Otherwise, he might have been able to take a shortcut to achieve the realm of a saint.

"You're overthinking it."

Yang He immediately dismissed the idea. There was no shortcut to becoming a saint. Now that he had clearly defined his path, he could only climb to the summit step by step.

Rumble.

On one hand, the Myriad Transformations Heavenly Realm is being eroded by the aura of the Void, while on the other hand, the Three Pure Ones Daoist Temple seems to be preparing to give birth to the Upper Realm.

That's right, a higher realm similar to the Heavenly Court or the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

However, progress has been extremely slow.

Yang He looked helpless. The aura of the Void was subtly forming a delicate balance with the Myriad Transformations Heavenly Dao Realm and the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West, which made him dare not act rashly, for fear of a chain reaction of collapse.

He hoped that while Tang Sanzang completed the story, he would also find a way to break the deadlock.

"On the other hand, with the great calamity currently sweeping across the three realms, even the Three Pure Ones have to reincarnate to protect themselves, so Shakyamuni probably can't take care of me."

"However, Shakyamuni will definitely live to the point in time in the main world."

He might be waiting for him in endless hell. Once the separation of Yin and Yang disappears, Yang He will face a saint who is on the verge of enlightenment.

Yang He couldn't help but recall the series of tests by the ghosts and gods; the situation in the main world was more urgent than he had imagined.

"In the end, it will still be a war."

Yang He's mind returned to calm, and his divine sense swept across the Myriad Transformations Heavenly Realm, quickly finding the ruins of the Twelfth Heaven of the Heavenly Court within.

The Twelve Heavens, along with the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West, were incorporated into the Myriad Transformations Heavenly Realm, but due to a lack of permanent resident characters, they were piled up in a corner.

After searching for a while, Yang He found a large amount of miscellaneous resources and a corpse, which was Xuanling Tianjun, one of the Five Elders.

"Three of the Five Elders possessed the bodies of the Five Emperors, and if we include the Jade Emperor among the Four Emperors, two of them possessed the bodies of the Five Emperors."

"As expected, it's unrealistic to collect all four emperors and five elders, but it's enough to transform Corpse Celestial Venerable and Ghost True Monarch."

[Should we generate a permanent character, "Huangdi Xuanling Yiqi Tianjun"?]

Yang He decisively used the last permanent character slot on Xuanling Tianjun.

[The permanent characters <Netherworld Patrol Sea Ghost Yuan True Lord> and <Yellow Emperor Mysterious Spirit Qi Heavenly Lord> are compatible and meet the fusion conditions. Do you want to spend 500 points of Spirit Vision to fuse them?]

"determine."

[Consume 1000 points of Insight to select a character for deep fusion?]

"Choose [Netherworld Patrol Sea Ghost Yuan True Lord]".

Yang He discovered a characteristic of deep integration: if one's situation is safe, deep integration will generate calamities to promote integration; if one's situation is dangerous, it will instead be used.

The Corpse Celestial Venerable he portrayed vanished into thin air, and then his true form quietly descended upon the Myriad Transformations Heavenly Realm.

Looking up and around, the crack at the top of the sky was still continuously pouring in black water, but then there was a slight sign of healing.

boom.

The Yin Vein beneath the earth had just reached the critical point of transformation, and Yang He did not hesitate to activate the Puppet Immortal Transformation, merging with the Yin Vein into one.

The rising yin energy slowed the flow of black water.

While deep integration is not a fundamental solution, it can at least buy some time.

Yang He does not plan to return to the main world unless absolutely necessary. Compared to the world of historical records, which has a surplus of over a thousand years, the main world's few decades are simply a matter of life and death.

He gradually fell into a deep sleep, and the Myriad Transformations Heavenly Dao Realm fell into the Ruins of Return like a speck of dust.

.........

The destruction of both the immortals and Buddhas intensified the great calamity.

The mortal world was plunged into chaos and suffering.

The world had lost its color, and everything was shrouded in a suffocating gray-white.

The sun, moon, and stars have vanished without a trace, with only a faint glimmer of light remaining in the far east of the sky, as if it were the embers before the world's demise.

The refugee tide stretched as far as the eye could see; they were like walking corpses, numbly trudging towards the glimmer of light in the east.

They were ragged and their faces were filled with despair. What was truly chilling was that the refugees had black holes running through their bodies, the edges of which were still writhing and expanding.

Wisps of black energy emanated from it, devouring the dying life force.

"I'm so hungry."

The woman held the baby, who had long since stopped crying, and murmured blankly.

The young man beside him staggered to a stop; half his face had been swallowed by a hollow, revealing not bone, but a deep darkness.
"Eat...eat what? Grass roots and tree bark are full of rotten toxins, eating them will only make you die faster..."

He stretched out his withered right hand and pointed to a twisted, blackened blade of grass by the roadside.

"Even the soil... the soil is bitter. Let's go, let's keep going... let's keep going. In... the Tang Dynasty, cough cough cough, maybe there's still a way to survive."

Whispers of despair spread through the crowd like a plague.

The earth was cracked and parched, and the vegetation withered and decayed.

Amidst the torrent of refugees, one figure walked westward.

He was draped in a filthy robe, and walked with faltering steps, each step seemingly using up all his strength, his body riddled with holes.

This person was none other than Tang Sanzang.

The refugees cast strange glances at him, and many stopped to look at Tang Sanzang, but were propelled forward by the refugee tide.

"Uh."

The emaciated old man finally couldn't hold on any longer and fell to the ground, the black holes in his body opening and closing as if they were alive.

Tang Sanzang bent down with difficulty and helped the old man up.

He looked at the old man's chapped lips, silently untied the shriveled water bag from his waist, and took out the last small piece of dry food.

After eating some water and food, the old man barely regained a bit of strength. He slightly opened his cloudy eyes and asked in a hoarse voice.

"Master, why...why are you going west? There's still light...there's still a way to survive to the east..."

Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together, his lips cracked from dehydration. "This humble monk... is a sinner. I am traveling west not for survival, but only to... seek a sliver of hope for liberation from this world."

His gaze passed over the vast refugee tide and looked toward the deeper darkness in the west.

"vitality?"

A look of bewilderment flashed in the old man's eyes, which were then replaced by pain. "Is there any scripture that can save this world? We've all been eaten alive, eaten from the inside out."

Tang Sanzang bowed deeply to the old man and then continued on his way.

Didn't take a few steps.

Tang Sanzang paused slightly, keenly sensing a faint demonic aura and dozens of pairs of eyes flashing green light in the nearby mountain valley.

Packs of wolf demons silently followed the refugee tide, waiting for their prey to collapse from exhaustion.

"Ugh."

Tang Sanzang sighed deeply, his brows furrowed with endless sorrow.

He sat down cross-legged on the roadside.

The howling grew more frequent; the wolf pack, clearly unable to contain their hunger, began to howl in unison as they crawled out of the ravine one after another.

At this moment, a sudden change occurs!
The shadow beneath Tang Sanzang's feet suddenly spread, like boiling ink, instantly transforming into a bottomless swamp.

Countless bubbles could be seen inside, filled with the nauseating smell unique to Guixu. Then, a quick glance upwards was made.

The wolf demon had no time to resist; it was swallowed up by darkness like a pebble thrown into a deep pool.

The whole process happened in the blink of an eye.

The refugee crisis was stunned by this sudden scene. After a brief silence, panic erupted, but it was not directed at the wolf pack.

After all, the wolf pack had limited appetites and had already eaten many people along the way, but the vast majority of refugees successfully left Xiniuhe Prefecture.

"There is a monster...a monster!!!"

"The monk is clearly a demon!!"

"Run! Get away from him!"

The crowd screamed and desperately tried to get away from Tang Sanzang, their eyes filled with fear as they looked at him. Only the old man whom Tang Sanzang had previously helped tried to explain: "No, no, he just saved..."

"Shut up! You old bastard, are you trying to get us killed?!"

The old man's words were immediately drowned out by the surrounding refugees; no one dared to believe that Tang Sanzang was a kind person.

Tang Sanzang seemed oblivious to the chaos, slowly rose, dusted off his robe, and strode off without a trace of joy or sorrow on his face.

Soon, the figure disappeared at the end of the road.

I don't know how long I've been traveling.

Everywhere he looked was barren wasteland, the earth cracked open with deep, bone-revealing wounds, and the demons he encountered, whether strong or weak, were all transformed into nourishment for the void amidst the surging shadows.

Finally, Tang Sanzang arrived at his destination.

Elysium.

To be precise, it is the former site of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Looking around, where can one find the magnificent scene of Buddha's light shining everywhere and chanting Buddhist hymns echoing?

All that remained was devastation and ruin.

Shakyamuni Buddha had uprooted Mount Ling, the symbol of the Pure Land, and moved it into the ruins of the Heavenly Court, leaving only a huge, sunken pit and countless bones in its original location.

At the edge of the pit, a dilapidated palace was half-buried in the scorched earth.

The plaques on the palace buildings were rotten and dilapidated, but three mottled ancient characters could still be vaguely discerned.

Leiyin Temple.

Tang Sanzang silently walked into Leiyin Temple and reached out to push open the creaking door.

The former solemnity was gone. The dome inside the hall had collapsed, and piles of broken bricks, stones and rotten wood were piled up like mountains. Only a few pale rays of light shone in through the holes, illuminating the flying dust.

Surprisingly, some of the original layout has been preserved deep within the main hall.

Two lonely prayer cushions were placed in the center.

On a futon, a withered, blackened lotus flower grew, its petals curled up like clenched bone claws, devoid of any life.

On another futon sat a emaciated female Buddha.

She lowered her head, her long, dry hair cascading down, obscuring her face.

Tang Sanzang glanced at the lotus flower and then walked straight towards it, as if he already knew his fate and did not hesitate at all.

"Wait a minute."

The female Buddha opened her eyes and stopped Tang Sanzang, saying, "Tang Sanzang, do you know what will happen once you come into contact with the lotus?"

"I have seen the Tathagata Pure Light."

Tang Sanzang bowed respectfully, and Bixiao revealed a complex expression.

Bixiao continued, "I waited at Leiyin Temple to stop you. This world has already gone through a great calamity and is on the verge of collapse. There is no need to waste our lives on Shakyamuni."

Tang Sanzang shook his head, seemingly determined to touch the lotus flower.

"Tang Sanzang, Buddhism has been destroyed. I don't know what agreement you had with Shakyamuni, but the lotus is an evil thing that grows in the Void. It is unrealistic for you to rely on evil things to overcome the great eons."

As Bixiao spoke, her voice was tinged with confusion.

After the fall of Buddhism, Shakyamuni did not prevent the Buddha from leaving and completely sealed off the upper realm, leaving them to live and die on their own.

Unable to find Yang He, Bi Xiao inexplicably came to Leiyin Temple.

She had previously sensed the aura of the Void contained within the lotus, and thought that refining it might allow her to survive. She had been trying to contact Yang He at Leiyin Temple.

Upon seeing Tang Sanzang, Bixiao immediately realized that the lotus flower was left by Shakyamuni.

Tang Sanzang said with a smile, "Shakyamuni previously told me that the lotus is not something from the Void, but rather something born from the Heavenly Dao. However, the Heavenly Dao has now also been tainted by the aura of the Void."

He paused for a few moments, then said, "After swallowing it, I will be able to face the Heavenly Dao with the power of a mortal."

Bixiao frowned, not understanding Shakyamuni's plan. "Tang Sanzang, I will let Brother Yang know about this. You should know that besides Shakyamuni, only my brother can deal with the great calamity. You don't need to..."

"Master Yang is unable to cope with the great calamity and will surely die next."

Bixiao's pupils dilated in shock. She wanted to refute Tang Sanzang, but she sensed the certainty in his tone, which suggested that Shakyamuni might have mentioned it to Tang Sanzang.

"You...you plan to help Shakyamuni deal with Senior Brother Yang? Senior Brother Yang has clearly done you a great favor, are you planning to repay kindness with enmity?"

Tang Sanzang shook his head and said firmly, word by word.

“I asked Master Yang how long it would take for there to be a glimmer of hope.”

"He made me wait for two thousand years."

Tang Sanzang's eyes were tightly closed, and the aura he exuded startled Bixiao. His tangible belief filled Leiyin Temple through his mortal body.

"I don't care whether Shakyamuni was using me or not. Since Master Yang made me wait for two thousand years, then... not a single day less!"

Seeing Tang Seng's unwavering resolve, Bixiao remained silent.

Tang Sanzang plucked the withered lotus flower. The moment the lotus flower detached from the futon, its petals suddenly turned as black as ink, and a Taoist aura emanated from it.

He swallowed the entire lotus flower.

"Uhhhhh!!!"

A mournful wail, inhuman in sound, came from Tang Sanzang's throat! His whole body convulsed violently, and his eyes burst open under the pressure.

His skin, flesh, and bones fell apart inch by inch!
On his forehead, the Heavenly Dao manifested in an extremely frenzied form, transforming into fine black tentacles, attempting to destroy Tang Sanzang's body and soul.

"Tang Sanzang! You can't take this!" Bixiao cried out in alarm.

"Ho...ho..."

Tang Sanzang's voice was out of tune, yet filled with hysterical obsession: "The suffering I have endured is nothing compared to... even a fraction of what ordinary people in the world suffer!!!"

His empty, bloodshot eyes looked at Bixiao, using the last bit of his clarity.

"Fifty-three years later, when I set foot in Guixu, I will see him again."

Bixiao was shocked and realized that Tang Seng was referring to Yang He.

Tang Sanzang clasped his hands together with difficulty, his broken body held on amidst endless pain, and then uttered his final murmur.

"The Way of Heaven... can use my crippled body as a boat, and my consciousness as a ferry... to continue."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tang Sanzang's body and soul completely vanished into nothingness.

Bixiao stood frozen in place, the clear chirping of cicadas ringing in her ears, sounding so jarring in this deathly silent, gray world.

She walked out of Leiyin Temple in a daze, and saw that on a withered plant not far away, the tender leaves had turned from gray to green!

This shade of green is like an ink droplet falling into water, spreading out at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The earth grew deep again, withered grass and trees sprouted new shoots, and the sky regained its long-lost azure blue; the aura of the Ruins had vanished without a trace.

(End of this chapter)