Simultaneous travel: Starting from returning to the main god space.

Chapter 368 Strangers, We've Finally Met (Seeking monthly votes! Seeking further subscriptions!)

Time flies like an arrow, and life is like a fleeting moment.

At this moment, three years have passed since Wu Xian went to war with the Heavenly Court.

In that magnificent battle, Wu Xian not only sent the Jade Emperor back to his hometown, but also destroyed the Thirty-Six Heavens, which the gods and immortals of Heaven had painstakingly built up over tens of thousands of years.

During this time, there were indeed powerful individuals who tried to stop him, but their strength was insufficient, and they were all easily suppressed by Wu Xian with his wisdom and courage, having no ability to resist.

Besides, evil gods like the Queen Mother of the West and Zhen Yuanzi, who would stop at nothing to achieve immortality, were all investigated by Wu Xian, who then sent them all to reunite with the Jade Emperor.

Incidentally, apart from throwing out the Taiji Diagram to protect the Jade Emperor once, Laozi never intervened again.

Later, Wu Xian went to the Thirty-Three Heavens again, but couldn't find any trace of the Tushita Palace. The person who was most likely the mastermind behind everything in the Black Myth world also disappeared without a trace. No matter how he investigated, there were no clues, which really frustrated him for a long time.

As for those small fry like the Earth God of Flaming Mountain who follow evil gods and do all sorts of dirty work for them, Wu Xian did not treat them lightly. He even had Yang Jian contact a group of Yin gods in the Netherworld and work overtime for several nights to design a whole set of punishments.

First, you'll be taken to the Execution Platform, where your immortal bones will be removed, your spiritual roots severed, and eighteen bolts of heavenly lightning will be unleashed to destroy your physical body, stripping you of your cultivation and spiritual essence, returning it to the world. Then, your soul will be escorted to the Netherworld and the Yellow Springs to begin your panoramic tour of the eighteen levels of hell.

Tortures like tongue-pulling, boiling in oil, skinning and dismembering, being subjected to fire and knives... they wanted to try every imaginable form of torture.

After these creatures have received their punishment, they will be reborn as pigs or dogs in their next life, and only after nine lifetimes can they be reborn as humans.

Then another bolt of lightning will strike, shattering their souls and obliterating them.

First inflict suffering, then offer hope, only to find in the end that it's all for naught. The main theme is to kill the heart and destroy the soul, making it even more villainous than the villains themselves.

Upon learning of this punishment plan, some immortals and gods who had been spared by Wu Xian because they still had some conscience and had not committed any real evil deeds were all terrified and fell silent.

One can imagine that for a long time to come, these gods and immortals will probably develop the habit of trembling at the sight of monkeys, and at the same time, they will not dare to have any evil thoughts.

Incidentally, because Wu Xian's final attack was too powerful, not only did the Jade Emperor die, but part of the Investiture of the Gods in his hands was also damaged. This led to the deaths of many immortals and gods on the list, and they were beyond saving.

As a result, the Heavenly Court is severely understaffed and urgently needs to promote talented individuals to maintain order in the Three Realms.

Wu Xian didn't interfere too much. Apart from scrapping the ridiculous "one day in heaven is one year on earth" setting, he threw the broken Investiture of the Gods to a bewildered Yang Jian and told him to figure it out himself. Then he took his fourth sister to travel around the Three Realms and Four Continents, living a carefree and unrestrained life.

In contrast to the chaotic situation in the Heavenly Court, the Buddhist community, which had also suffered a major upheaval, appeared remarkably quiet.

Those great beings who survived and shed their Buddhahood, some of them lost interest and returned to their own temples, guarding their own little plots of land, no longer caring about the changing world.

Others, however, were driven by a desire for change. Under the guidance of Tang Sanzang, they traveled throughout the Three Realms and Four Continents to atone for the sins of the countless beings who had been exploited and poisoned by Buddhism in the past. They attempted to free mortals from their suffering and struggles and to correct their distorted thoughts.

Undoubtedly, this is a massive undertaking. After all, the territory of the Three Realms and Four Continents is so vast that it would take at least a hundred years to help every mortal, or even immortals and gods.

But Tang Sanzang did not hesitate at all. Even if he was alone and did not have supernatural powers, he would persevere and pass on this will, like a flame that would never be extinguished, just like Sun Wukong in the past.

"As a master, how can I lose to my disciple!"

During a chance encounter, Tang Sanzang smiled and spoke to Wu Xian, and then, together with Guanyin, Ksitigarbha, and other like-minded individuals, they continued their seemingly endless journey of redemption. "It is said that the man of destiny wielded the golden cudgel passed down to him by the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, striking the heavens above and cleaving the underworld below, causing all the celestial beings to retreat in disarray and flee in panic..."

In the Southern Continent, in the mortal world where ordinary people live, Wu Xian disguised himself as an ordinary person and sat in a restaurant with his fourth sister, who was dressed as an ordinary lady.

At this moment, the storyteller inside the building is telling the story of how the chosen one sought out the Great Sage's potential and fought against all the gods and Buddhas in the sky. The people involved are listening with great interest, occasionally revealing amused smiles.

Just as they were talking about how the chosen one beat the Jade Emperor with a stick, scaring him so much that he hid under the table, Wu Xian's heart stirred slightly. As if sensing something, he glanced at a certain spot and revealed a thoughtful expression.

"what happened?"

The fourth sister next to her looked over with a puzzled expression and asked curiously.

"It's nothing, keep eating."

Wu Xian came to his senses, smiled and shook his head, but where his fourth sister couldn't see, he separated a part of his mind and escaped into the void, following his senses to fly towards a hidden cave-heaven secret realm.

A flash of light, and Wu Xian's vision was instantly covered in pure white, giving him the feeling of returning to a mysterious space.

But soon he knew it wasn't, because in front of him stood a magnificent palace, with the three large characters "Doushuai Palace" clearly written on the plaque above it.

Wu Xian narrowed his eyes slightly, took a step, and arrived at the gate of the Tushita Palace in an instant.

After a slight hesitation, he tried to activate the Light of the Mind and, finding no resistance, finally pushed open the heavy door in front of him.

The first thing that catches the eye is a huge red and black alchemy furnace with two holes in the middle, both reflecting the firelight, which makes Wu Xian feel a sense of familiarity.

My gaze continued upwards, and then I saw an old man with white hair wearing a blue and white Taoist robe.

At this moment, he was sitting calmly on a futon, staring at himself with an indescribable gaze.

The old man had a very kind appearance, but he was unusually tall. His thick, snow-white hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin, and he looked no different from an ordinary old Taoist priest. Everything about him was so harmonious and natural.

Harmony between humanity and nature, and following the natural way.

This is a very lofty state of mind, which will unconsciously affect the things around it. Even someone as strong-willed as Wu Xian, after just a few glances at the old man, couldn't help but feel a special desire to get away from the noise and rediscover tranquility and beauty.

Based on this alone, the opponent's strength was far superior to that of the Jade Emperor and Buddha, which also made Wu Xian more vigilant and prepared to take action at any time.

Seemingly sensing Wu Xian's thoughts, the old man... or rather, Lao Tzu, smiled and said:
"Stranger, we've finally met."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Second update at noon!
Then, Black Myth came to an end!

(End of this chapter)