Mythology

Chapter 552 A Glimmer of Hope

The calamities caused by ghosts and spirits in the mortal realm have subsided.

However, all the immortals and gods knew that this was just the beginning, and they gathered at the base of the Myriad Transformations Tree at Yang He's signal.

They arrived one after another, and faced the first wave of ghosts and gods with almost no casualties.

The immortals and Buddhas gathered around the Myriad Transformations Tree in turn, and the Daoist energy from all directions of the Endless Hell converged on the trunk, causing the branches and leaves to grow stronger and stronger.

Yang He had already been standing there quietly, his aura resonating faintly with the Myriad Transformations Tree.

Yunxiao, Yang Jian, Nezha, and Sun Wukong waited patiently, their eyes all fixed on Yang He. At the same time, they were visualizing the Myriad Transformation Tree to restore their cultivation and recover from the injuries caused by the ghosts and gods.

The mortal realm was deserted, and the rules of Heaven had become chaotic.

The rapid alternation of the four seasons is clearly a sign that the natural order is about to collapse.

With the help of the medicine provided by the Treasure Bone Mausoleum, Lu Ya Dao Ren was no longer weak. He muttered to himself as he took out copper coins and began to divine the future, his face growing increasingly grim.

Yang He opened his eyes and looked around at the assembled immortals and Buddhas, seemingly having already made a decision.

"saint!!"

The immortals and Buddhas were respectful, placing themselves in the position of disciples.

Yang He nodded slightly, barely suppressing the backlash of the Returning Void aura by refining the remnants of the Immortal Buddha's Daoist temple. At the same time, the Myriad Transformation Tree could not be concealed, meaning it was completely exposed to Shakyamuni's eyes.

"Fellow Daoists, the Great Tribulation is only a decade or two away. The destruction of the Heavenly Dao and the disintegration of this world are inevitable. If the Myriad Transformations Heavenly Dao Realm wants to grow to the point where it can withstand the Great Tribulation, it must take a risk."

The immortals and Buddhas had no objections, understood why the roots of the Myriad Transformations Tree extended into the Endless Hell, and had complete faith in Yang He.

On the one hand, Yang He always proceeded cautiously, and he never lost to Shakyamuni in several encounters. On the other hand, many immortals and Buddhas were still hoping that the Three Pure Ones would appear.

After all, the Three Pure Ones Taoist Temple remains in the Myriad Transformations Heavenly Realm, and Yang He is a disciple of the Three Pure Ones, so he may very well know the secrets of the reincarnation of saints.

Only Yang He himself knew that the Three Pure Ones might not be reliable.

Whether the Three Pure Ones can return to sainthood after reincarnation is unknown. It is also possible that they might die or perish in the next two thousand years.

Yang He narrowed his eyes, "Next, I will go to the Endless Hell alone to test Shakyamuni. The Tree of Ten Thousand Transformations is still rooted in the mortal world."

The immortals and Buddhas were in an uproar, looking at each other in disbelief.

"Yunxiao."

Yunxiao stepped forward, bowed, and replied, "Yes."

"You will be in charge of the overall situation, command the eight righteous gods, and wipe out all ghosts, gods and evil spirits in the mortal world. You must protect the mortals who have just entered the Dao realm."

"I accept the decree." Yunxiao couldn't help but show his worry.

Yang Jian frowned slightly. "However, the Sage only recently advanced to Quasi-Sage, while Shakyamuni has been a Sage for thousands of years, and there are countless Quasi-Sages under his command. The dangers are unpredictable..."

Bixiao quickly chimed in, "Since all the mortals have already moved into the Dao Realm, it is the prudent strategy for us to rely on the Myriad Transformations Heavenly Dao Realm, hold our ground in the mortal world, and wait for the enemy to tire themselves out. Why rush things?"

Yang He opened his fiery eyes between his brows, his gaze piercing through layers of hell.

The immortals and Buddhas could not see the situation in the Avici Hell, but Yang He, with his Fiery Eyes of Truth enhanced by his spiritual vision, could see deep enough to penetrate into the fifteenth level of hell and had already seen traces of Shakyamuni.

Shakyamuni sat upright and righteously atop a twelve-petaled lotus mountain of flesh and blood.

Escorted by the Three Saints, they traversed the endless hell, followed by a large number of ghosts and gods. Wherever they passed, deafening chanting resounded throughout heaven and earth.

"Well."

Shakyamuni looked up, clearly noticing Yang He's spying.

He flicked his finger and smiled, and numerous evil spirits within a hundred miles let out painful howls, their bodies bulging with lumps, from which new limbs and facial features then emerged.

The evil spirits transformed themselves at a visible speed, quickly becoming ghosts and gods.

Two thousand years have passed, and Shakyamuni's supernatural powers to enlighten sentient beings have not diminished but have become even more terrifying, easily producing ghosts and gods in large quantities.

Perhaps the ghosts and spirits that evil spirits transform into have no intelligence and only understand the instinctive desires of wild beasts.

But their numbers surged like a plague, quickly forming a terrifying, endless tide that swept towards the mortal realm.

"Shakyamuni is still in the realm of sainthood."

Yang He withdrew his Fiery Eyes, his expression extremely solemn. Even though the development of Shakyamuni's power over the past two thousand years had not exceeded expectations, it was still too frightening to think about it carefully.

There are four saints alone, and countless quasi-saints.

If Yang He chooses to lead the immortals and gods in a head-on confrontation, he will only face certain death. Therefore, he must seize the glimmer of hope that may exist in the darkness.

What is a glimmer of hope?
Yang He also made a conjecture, which he needed to verify by going to the Endless Hell.

"So be it."

Yang He found it difficult to share his innermost thoughts with the immortals and Buddhas, saying, "With the support of the Myriad Transformation Tree, you would have the power to fight even if a Quasi-Saint descended. Moreover, it is unlikely that Quasi-Saints would appear on a large scale at present."

The protection of Elder Tang is still in effect, and the separation of Yin and Yang can continue for another ten years.

Otherwise, why would Shakyamuni have needed to traverse the endless hells layer by layer? He could have easily killed all the immortals and Buddhas in the mortal realm with a single thought.

Nezha, his face tense, patted Yang He on the shoulder and said, "Be careful, we'll have a drink together when you get back."

"Yes, senior brother, you must not be reckless."

Yang He glanced at Sun Wukong and said, "Wukong, and you too."

"hey-hey."

Sun Wukong scratched his head, wisely refraining from saying anything more.

Yang He stepped out with his right foot, half of his body already stepping into the endless hell. Then he slowed his movements slightly, and his voice reached the ears of every immortal and god.

"Next, there will inevitably be a continuous stream of ghosts and gods attacking. You must seize the time to deepen your refinement of your immortal positions and ranks, as the chance to catch your breath will be fleeting."

"Remember, no matter what sounds you sense, even if I am on my deathbed, you must not venture in rashly."

Yang He took one last, deep look at Yunxiao.

Yunxiao hesitated, only to hear Yang He's last words.

"When the time is ripe, it will be time for you to launch a full-scale counterattack."

Almost immediately after Yang He left, countless ghosts and spirits appeared in the mortal realm, their cultivation generally at the Golden Immortal level or above.

The gods and immortals worked together without the slightest negligence to establish a defensive line.

.........

Unbeknownst to him, Shakyamuni had already arrived at the ninth level of hell.

Because the barrier between Yin and Yang still exists, a large number of ghosts and gods who had not yet attained sainthood vanished into thin air.

The three saints looked around and saw that the ninth level of hell was a bizarre and distorted scene, with dense, intertwined roots.

The Heavenly Dao rules of the Myriad Transformations Heavenly Dao Realm cover a portion of the Endless Hell.

"Exquisite craftsmanship, the extraterrestrial demons' application of their own Heavenly Dao is unmatched."

Amitabha Buddha couldn't help but sigh. The roots of the Myriad Transformations Tree entangled the remains of the immortal and Buddha temple, and endured seventy percent of the erosion of the eon, yet the two maintained a delicate balance.

"Such illogical behavior has actually been found to have a pattern by the extraterrestrial demons."

The Medicine Buddha coldly said, "If we hadn't undergone a second reincarnation, we might not have been a match for the extraterrestrial demons. If we had been given another two or three thousand years, we might have become saints."

They all realized that the difference between Yang He and a sage lay in his profound knowledge and experience.

A quasi-saint simply imprints his body and soul on the Heavenly Dao, while a saint goes to great lengths, down to every single cell and every wisp of divine consciousness, requiring painstaking effort.

The guide spoke in a heavy tone: "Shouldn't the extraterrestrial demons stall for time? Even if some mortals are sacrificed, it won't affect the foundation of the extraterrestrial demons."

“Indeed.” Amitabha Buddha also couldn’t understand Yang He’s thoughts. Putting himself in Yang He’s shoes, he would only do whatever it took to delay until this world was destroyed and both sides were trapped in the Ruins of Return.

Yang He did the opposite, as if he were holding a banquet in the mortal world to await the arrival of Shakyamuni.

"Could it be that extraterrestrial demons are willing to submit to Buddha?"

The suggestion made by the Medicine Buddha may seem to fit the current situation at first glance.

But then they thought again and realized it was unrealistic, since Yang He had already eliminated the possibility of Shakyamuni controlling him by achieving sainthood himself.

At this moment.

The flesh-and-blood lotus mountain suddenly stopped at the border of the ninth level of hell.

Rumble.

The mountains stopped advancing, and thick, fleshy tentacles suddenly sprouted from their base, plunging deep into the depths of the ninth level of hell.

Shakyamuni Buddha held the Dharma mudra and smiled, and the mountains began to expand wildly.

Countless arms, faces, and internal organs began to proliferate, and the spewed black mist became thicker, beginning to assimilate the roots of the Myriad Transformation Tree in the ninth level of hell.

Shakyamuni clearly intended to use the ninth level of hell as a base to seize the Myriad Transformations Heaven Realm!
"Buddha?"

Amitabha Buddha was increasingly perplexed. "Since we've come this far, why not strike at the heart of the matter? With our strength, we could easily sweep through the mortal realm. Why entangle ourselves here with the Heavenly Dao foundation of the extraterrestrial demons?"

Jieyin was also puzzled. "Yes, the highest-ranking immortals and Buddhas in the mortal realm are only Hunyuan Golden Immortals. What right do they have to confront us?"

Shakyamuni's actions were indeed extremely prudent, using his absolute advantage to slowly whittle down his opponent, ensuring that no one escaped.

The three saints also felt that it was inexplicable that an extraterrestrial demon could become a saint.

Why be so cautious when facing Yang He, who has not yet become a saint?
Shakyamuni did not explain, but his deep, abyss-like eyes reflected a faint light, and he extended his right arm with his thumb and middle finger, indicating twenty days.

The three saints involuntarily suppressed their contempt and their minds quietly tensed.

Shakyamuni's caution, in any case, only extended the original ten-day annihilation of the extraterrestrial demons to twenty days, but it also indirectly showed that Shakyamuni was equally unable to fathom Yang He's scheme.

Bang bang bang!
The flesh-and-blood lotus mountain contracted, then rolled inward, directly enveloping Shakyamuni layer by layer. The next moment, the mountain writhed violently, and its extended flesh-and-blood tentacles became incredibly active.

In an instant, the roots of the Myriad Transformations Tree in the ninth level of hell were torn to pieces.

The Myriad Transformation Tree could no longer refine the remains of the Immortal Buddha's Daoist temple, which broke the balance of the Myriad Transformation Heavenly Dao Realm, causing the aura of the Void to surge to an extreme.

If this continues, as Shakyamuni occupies each layer of hell, the myriad transformations of the Heavenly Dao Realm will naturally turn against Yang He.

The three saints did not remain idle; after receiving the message from Shakyamuni, they dispersed separately.

They traveled to the southeast, north, and south triangles of the ninth level of hell, where boundless Buddhist light burst forth, and ghosts and gods cooperated to construct a white bone shrine.

The Buddhist shrines echo each other, forming a magic array that envelops the ninth level of hell.

Those ghosts and gods who could not descend to the mortal world due to the separation between the living and the dead let out greedy and violent howls, and knelt down in front of the Buddha shrine.

Once the three saints have made their arrangements, they can send the quasi-saint level ghosts and gods to the mortal realm.

How could Yang He possibly have any chance to fight back? Almost no opportunity was left open.

"Namo Bhagavan, Vairocana, Maha Rocchana, Tathagata, Vairocana, Arhat, Samyaksambuddha..."

The guide silently chanted, noting that compared to the other two saints, the progress in crafting the Buddha niche was slightly slower.

The main reason is that some of the fruition positions were taken away back then, and even though Shakyamuni Buddha made up for it, there were still some flaws in the foundation of the path to enlightenment.

The process of guiding and refining suddenly stalled, and an inexplicable palpitation appeared without warning.

He glanced around and saw that the ghosts and spirits prostrating themselves beside the Buddhist shrine were chanting scriptures devoutly, and there was nothing unusual about them. His sudden whim was too strange.

"Is it an extraterrestrial demon?"

The thought had barely formed when he extinguished it himself.

"impossible."

Jieyin shook his head inwardly. Even if Yang He had seen through the situation of being slowly boiled like a frog in warm water, he would never come to the ninth level of hell alone to die.

He composed himself and resumed the crafting of the Buddhist shrine.

Just as Jieyin was completely immersed in the Buddha niche.

A sudden change occurred!

Not far away, a ghostly figure with a pale white head and a lantern-shaped head began to twitch inexplicably, its right eye bulging out without warning!

puff!

With his right eye shattered, a figure, swift as lightning and imbued with an intense killing intent, burst forth from the demon's body!

With four heads and eight arms, and a cold, murderous face, who else could it be but Yang He?!
"Extraterrestrial Demons!!!"

This triggered a roar of shock and anger, but Yang Hebing took a risky move and instantly came within half a meter of him!
"die!!!"

Yang He let out a low shout, and one of his arms, containing boundless corpse energy, slammed straight towards Jieyin's forehead! The space itself rippled with withered patterns.

At the critical moment, he decisively abandoned his head!
Bang!
His head exploded on its own, turning into a shower of flesh.

Jieyin knew perfectly well that Yang He's possession was what he needed to be wary of, as it disregarded cultivation levels and was something even Shakyamuni couldn't withstand.

Immediately, more than ten Buddhist treasures, nurtured over countless years, flew out.

Prayer beads, vajra, golden bowl, lotus platform, etc., intertwined to form an impenetrable barrier of Buddhist light, preventing Yang He from getting close again.

"pity."

Yang He remained expressionless, showing no regret for his self-destructive actions.

Hordes of ghosts and spirits rushed towards him. The two saints had already released their divine forms, and the entire ninth level of hell was shrouded in gold. Most importantly, Shakyamuni also awoke.

Yang He could no longer back down; this move was akin to Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin.

"Yang He".

Shakyamuni sighed softly, and boundless limbs extended from all directions, while limbs also grew inside and outside Yang He's body and soul.

Yang He's flesh and bones, soul and consciousness, and even his cultivation level were all locked up.

It seemed that certain death awaited him.

Seeing this, Yang He stared intently into the depths of the Endless Hell, where the aura of the Void was constantly boiling, as if waiting for something.

"Uh."

With his body and soul entangled, Yang He was about to be suppressed by Shakyamuni.

Shakyamuni heard Yang He's slightly helpless murmur.

"Is there really no possibility? Isn't my only chance here?"

Yang He summoned the control panel, shifted his gaze from the Ruins of Return, and planned to go to the world of historical allusions to seek another method. It seemed that his conjecture was not realistic.

suddenly.

"Who is it?!?!"

Enraged, Shakyamuni wove his limbs into a large net to protect the ninth level of hell.

Deep within the ruins.

A massive arm silently tore through the layers of hell, then grabbed Yang He and retreated through the gaps in the net of limbs.

(End of this chapter)