Longevity, starting from traveling and telling stories

Chapter 219 The Investiture of the Gods Begins

A bright flash of lightning ripped through the dark sky, illuminating the glossy tortoise shell. A human figure was clearly reflected on the shell, as if the person was gently tracing the grooves on the shell with their fingertips.

"Let me tell you a story!" he said calmly, slowly beginning, "In ancient times, Emperor Yan had a daughter named Nüwa." (From "Jingwei Filling the Sea" in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, Northern Section 3)
"This girl was mischievous by nature. Once, she went to play in the East China Sea, but was accidentally swallowed by the surging sea."

Just as the giant turtle was about to speak, it was astonished to see a mirage appear on the sea surface, which turned out to be an illusion created by Ye Beixuan using water vapor refraction.

In the illusion, on the inky black sea, a girl walks barefoot on the waves, happily kicking up tiny splashes.

However, in an instant, a towering wave of ink surged high and swallowed the girl whole.

"This...this..." The giant tortoise suddenly felt that this matter was strange and mysterious, and the soil on its shell seemed to suddenly become extremely heavy.

"After the girl drowned, her resentment transformed into a large bird called the Jingwei Bird. It has a vermilion beak and eyes as sharp as a hawk's." Ye Beixuan flicked his finger like a sword, and a wave shot into the sky. From within the wave, a white bird with a red beak flapped its wings and took flight.

The giant tortoise stared in disbelief, utterly awestruck. "Could I become such a powerful tortoise someday? Should I keep my eggs, or should I become stronger?"

Just as it was feeling lost and confused, the large bird in the illusion flapped its wings and flew towards the tortoise shell. Then it picked up a grain of life-giving soil and resolutely leaped into the sea.

As the first grain of life-giving soil fell, the giant tortoise seemed to feel a mysterious call from ancient times.

When the ninth grain of life-giving soil fell into the sea, the giant turtle suddenly had a splitting headache. Memories of the ancient era were deeply imprinted in its mind, as if it had traveled through time.

As the transformed bird swept past the tortoise shell once more, a memory suddenly surfaced in the tortoise's mind.

In the scene, a towering figure of a god smashes through a colossal mountain that supports the sky, creating a huge hole in the heavens.

"Is this going to reclaim the sea?" The giant turtle looked incredulous. This idea was just too crazy!
It looked around and was astonished to see that the place where the Jingwei bird had just dropped the Breath Soil was now growing into a large area of ​​land, and the Lost Sea was divided into four parts, with the east, west, south and north each occupying one side.

The sky brightened instantly, and wave after wave crashed against the newly formed land, as if trying to wash it away so that it could continue to wreak havoc on the world.

Ye Beixuan suddenly said loudly, "This Jingwei, through her persistent efforts, carried stones little by little to fill the sea."

The giant tortoise gazed at the continent, where various kinds of plants gradually grew, and life began to spread across the land.

"Look, this is the result of our joint efforts." Ye Beixuan lightly tapped the air.

At the edge of the northern sky, a ray of sunlight tore through the clouds like a sharp arrow and poured down.

The giant tortoise trembled violently, and in the sky above, a huge phantom of Xuanwu roared to the heavens, its roar shaking the earth!
The giant tortoise finally realized that the mission it carried—no, it should be called Xuanwu—was the deep-seated obsession of the entire human world with controlling the floods.

After the phantom of Xuanwu roared to the sky, more and more beams of light pierced through the dark clouds, constantly tearing them apart.

Then, the phantom of Xuanwu transformed into a beam of light and rushed straight towards the far north.

As the sky gradually brightened, the ethereal silhouette of the Jingwei bird swept past for the last time.

The giant tortoise finally saw everything clearly: it was people's strong desire for a better life and their firm determination to fight back against the flood.

Countless figures appeared in the illusory visions: farmers carrying shovels to dig and build dams, shamans praying devoutly to the heavens, and soldiers using their flesh and blood to forge a sturdy dike. They were all working hard to fight the flood.

Just then, the sky cleared up, and the long-awaited sun instantly dispelled the gloom and darkness of the world.

Those phantom images of people fighting the flood on the sea surface transformed into points of light full of hope—this is humanity's hope.

They briefly circled the man and the tortoise, as if bidding a final farewell, before flying towards the Tiankui Mountains.

the other side.

These points of light rapidly reached the Tongtian Stele, their speed undiminished, and all disappeared into it. In an instant, the stele shone brightly, followed by a series of cracking sounds, as if the stone itself were shattering. The stele began to crack little by little, like a spider web.

Finally, it cracked to its limit, and with a "bang," the Tongtian Stele exploded completely, revealing a heavenly ladder that led directly to the sky.

at the same time.

Amidst the roar of the waves, the giant tortoise touched its recovered testicles, but couldn't feel happy at all.

Although it lost the power of Xuanwu, it suddenly understood that the mission of those divine beasts was simply to turn people's seemingly insignificant obsessions into reality in a reasonable way.

"Alright, I wasn't lying to you! Your balls have grown back, and your cultivation has greatly improved." Ye Beixuan teased, looking at the dazed giant tortoise.

Indeed! The giant tortoise nodded, acknowledging that it had indeed grown.

Although he lost the power of Xuanwu, he can now not only speak human language but also continue to cultivate. This is undoubtedly a great opportunity, and he was not lying to himself about it.

"Fellow villager, oh! No, may I ask how to address this human sir?" The giant tortoise suddenly spoke in a polite manner. If it still couldn't tell that Ye Beixuan wasn't a tortoise, then it would truly be a fool. In fact, it had already figured it out, but simply hadn't exposed him.

Huh? Ye Beixuan was slightly taken aback. This giant tortoise was quite interesting! Seeing its politeness, he immediately replied, "Of course, of course. My surname is Ye, and my given name is Beixuan. May I ask how you address me?"

These two shameless guys continued their performance without batting an eye.

"No problem, no problem. My name is Zhenwu." The giant tortoise introduced itself to Ye Beixuan on its back, shaking its head.

Just as these two "drama queens" were putting on a lively performance, a dragon's roar suddenly rang out.

"Oh no, the snakes are coming!" The giant tortoise paced anxiously, saying in a worried tone, "Brother Ye, I'm afraid I have to hide. These snakes have a grudge against me."

"Sigh!" Ye Beixuan said calmly, gesturing with his hand, "My men have arrived."

The giant tortoise's eyes darted around. His people? Could they be a group trying to trick me? But he didn't seem like it! Never mind, I'll observe first. If things don't look right, I'll slip away quickly. If we can turn hostility into friendship, that wouldn't be a bad thing.

On the sea, a golden dragon shadow darted in like lightning, rapidly approaching them.

Soon, the golden dragon shadow flew into the air and transformed into a young girl, none other than Ao Qin.

The sea breeze swept in fiercely as Ao Qin transformed, making it almost impossible for Ye Beixuan to open his eyes, which showed how fast she was.

"Miss Qin, she..." the girl choked back tears, sobbing, "Miss Qin from the Investiture of the Gods."

Ye Beixuan's heart tightened suddenly, sensing that something terrible was about to happen.

He suddenly remembered the day he felt inexplicably dizzy, and also the sad look in Qin Ruoxi's eyes before he left.

"Miss Qin ascended to the Conferred God Platform, using herself as a guide." Ao Qin raised her hand and conjured a water curtain. In the water curtain, Qin Ruoxi's appearance flying to the Conferred God Platform was clearly shown, as well as her gaze in her direction.

A thunderclap resounded, and suddenly golden light shone beneath Ye Beixuan's feet.

Zhenwu was greatly alarmed and exclaimed inwardly: That fierce woman was actually...
A streak of light streaked across the sky like a shooting star, leaving a dazzling trail in its wake. Ye Beixuan was speeding toward the Conferred God Platform.

The Tiankui Mountain Range features a staircase that winds its way down from the sky, each step exuding an ancient and weathered aura.

A golden light descended from above, and Ye Beixuan stepped into the void, slowly landing on the Conferred God Platform. The hairpin he had bought in the capital that day now lay forlornly on the platform, the silver beads on its head blown away by the wind.

Ye Beixuan reached out and picked up the hairpin, carefully threading the scattered silver beads back together, as memories flooded his mind like a tide.

He seemed to see on the altar the girl he had first met, injured by the stone he had thrown.

I recall the helpless look in the girl's eyes when she was falsely accused of murder and about to be executed; it must be exactly the same helplessness I feel now as I stand on the platform!

The clearest memory is of the day she stubbornly held his hand, insisting that he stay with her for the night.

"You ask me why someone would see their own corpse. So you already knew all along?"

Just as Ye Beixuan put the hairpin into his bosom, Qin Ruoxi's phantom appeared in the center of the Conferred God Platform.

Holding the Immortal-Slaying Sword and pointing it at the sky, she looked incredibly domineering, completely unlike her usual troublemaker self.

A sudden gust of wind arose, causing Ye Beixuan's clothes to flutter wildly.

"Using your body as the key, your soul as the guide," Ye Beixuan sighed softly, murmuring, "Is this your mission?"

He finally understood that Qin Ruoxi had become somewhat strange after the appearance of the Xuanwu phantom and the accidental acquisition of the Execution Platform. At that time, she must have already known his secret, but her strong-willed nature prevented her from telling him.

Looking up, one sees powerful causal energy gathered on the 3,600 steps of the Heavenly Staircase, with the energy becoming increasingly stronger the higher one goes.

It seems this is the path to immortality, but even if one becomes an immortal, how can such heavy karmic burdens be resolved so easily? Can becoming an immortal truly eliminate all troubles?

"Boom!" A thunderous explosion rang out.

A bolt of lightning, like a dragon, ripped through the sky and struck straight at the Conferred God Platform, but Ye Beixuan suddenly smiled.

A powerful bolt of lightning struck him, but it did not cause him any harm; it only shattered his headband, and a strong wind made his hair fly wildly in disarray.

At this moment, two things suddenly flew out from his body: the God-Slaying Whip and the Imperial Edict.

The imperial edict grew infinitely larger in the air, hovering above the sky, illuminating the entire firmament with its dazzling light.

Meanwhile, the violent aura around Ye Beixuan began to gather and gradually converge on the God-Slaying Whip.

The people in the Immortal Mansion felt as if their souls were nailed to the wheel of heaven, unable to move, as if they were being pulled by some mysterious force.

"Is this...ascension?" Chen Qianru said in horror, as she was horrified to discover that her soul seemed to be being torn out of her body.

The other immortals were filled with fear. They could see their own names, their past, and even their predecessors in the list.

When the words "quit smoking" suddenly appeared automatically on the list.

The people of the immortal abode, who were resisting the mysterious force, grew increasingly terrified. Could it be that one could become a god even after death? Or was it that only death could grant one godhood?
Quit smoking.

A voice, as loud as a bell, exploded in the heavens.

A colossal Buddha's soul was materialized on the Investiture of the Gods platform.

"Now I hereby confer upon the title of Shakyamuni Buddha upon the abstinence from smoking."

As soon as he finished speaking, mysterious runes burst forth from the imperial edict, gradually embedding themselves into the soul of the person quitting smoking.

He clasped his hands together, bowed to Ye Beixuan, and then walked towards the Heavenly Staircase.

Ye Beixuan nodded to Jieyan, then brandished the God-Slaying Whip. Everyone in the Immortal Palace felt their souls tremble – this was the power of Heavenly Judgment.

With each step the spirit of quitting smoking ascends, an extra hand appears behind it, and a lotus flower blooms beneath its feet. Golden light showers down upon the heavenly ladder, and after completing 3,600 steps, the spirit of quitting smoking vanishes at its end.

At the same time, another name appeared on the list—Zhao Yunhai.

The rain suddenly poured down like a torrential downpour.

"Zhao Yunhai." When Ye Beixuan uttered this name, water droplets appeared all over the entire Conferred God Platform.

To the astonishment of the many immortals, Zhao Yunhai's soul, who had long since died, began to materialize slowly on the Conferred God Platform, with each drop of water reflecting a dazzling galaxy.

"I am the embodiment of the Celestial River of the Immortal Realm."

Zhao Yunhai's soul gradually merged with the countless water droplets, and his entire soul transformed into the Weak Water.

He raised his hand and waved it, and everyone could see that it was a scene from the Immortal Realm—in a blood-red sea that blotted out the sky, the pure Milky Way tried to dilute the boundless crimson color, guarding the blood-red vortex alone, until it was corroded.

"Ten thousand years ago, a sea of ​​blood ravaged the immortal realm." His voice resounded throughout the world as he said, "I transformed into a boat, carrying ten thousand heavenly soldiers, to reincarnate in the mortal world."

Suddenly, the imperial edict shone with dazzling light, which gradually entered Zhao Yunhai's body, and he began to slowly walk towards the Heavenly Staircase.

With each step he took, he emitted the essence of Weak Water, condensed from light, which flowed upstream along the Heavenly Staircase.

Above the lost seas, a fierce call suddenly arose—the call of the Milky Way, which had been silent for millennia.

"I am going to suppress the sea of ​​blood. You will all come with me."

With a shout, the seawater surged upwards, flowing backwards along the ladder of heaven.

When he disappeared after climbing the three thousand six hundred steps, all the rivers, lakes and seas flowed backward, as if to bid farewell to these people.

The causal forces between heaven and earth grew increasingly dense, and the breathing of those whose names were not called became increasingly heavy.

Chen Qianru's face was pale, but her blood was boiling with excitement. Senior Brother Yunhai was actually a celestial being. It was said that the Seven-Colored Perch roamed the water, and perhaps one day she would also be able to roam in the Heavenly River.

Jin Tian's Taoist robes fluttered without wind. The spiritual platforms of the three thousand cultivators trembled and cracked simultaneously, some even bleeding from their seven orifices, yet they continued to deduce their own destinies.

Suddenly, the Conferred God Platform shot out ten thousand golden threads, which rushed straight into everyone's souls and locked them firmly.

the other side.

After the rain stopped and the sky cleared, a violent coughing sound came from the Great Zhou Imperial Palace.

"Imperial Physician! Quickly summon the Imperial Physician!" An urgent voice came from the Empress's palace; it was Hanmei calling out anxiously.

What on earth is Ye Beixuan up to? Now that the flood has been controlled, why isn't he coming back? Does he, as the father, have to be out there causing trouble while His Majesty is giving birth?
Before long, the imperial physicians rushed to the scene to treat the empress, but without exception, they were all so frightened that they stood aside, not daring to utter a sound, for fear that they would be beheaded for saying the wrong thing.

"Say something!" Hanmei shouted, "What exactly happened?"

(End of this chapter)