Free Web NovelChapter 538: Chapter 5: Holding the Human World, Striking an Ancient Buddha
"The Yellow Springs Path... Is this the Yellow Springs Path?"
Yuan Benchu staggered as he looked around in a daze. He was still in a bit of a stupor, muttering under his breath,
"Are we... really all dead?"
No matter how heroic their ambitions, how high their spirits, or how fearless they were of death,
actually setting foot on the Yellow Springs Path still left the four of them feeling dejected. Only Little Liu Bei was slightly better off, being still young.
The other three—Yuan Benchu, Sun Wentai, and Cao Mengde—all felt a profound sense of loss welling up inside them.
Before they could even begin to realize their grand ambitions, everything had turned to nothing in the blink of an eye.
"Shall we go?"
Soul Hook Chains shot down, binding the four souls. Their heroic spirit had vanished, replaced by an intensifying feeling of loss. The Yellow Springs Underworld was right before their eyes.
"So be it, so be it!"
Cao Mengde smiled and patted the short Little Liu Bei’s head.
"Though we never got to see the world in its full splendor, and our deeds and legacies remain unbuilt, at least we are not alone on the Yellow Springs Path..."
"Enough with the chatter," an impatient Yin Messenger interrupted. With a tug of the chains, the four of them stumbled toward the Bridge of Helplessness, their hearts heavy with sorrow.
As the Bridge of Helplessness drew near, Meng Po came into view, holding her bowls. The Stone of Three Lives began to reflect the merits and sins of their past lives.
Scene after scene flashed by. Cao Mengde let out a hearty laugh.
"These artifacts of the Underworld Department are truly filled with Profound Mysteries..."
At that moment, the Stone of Three Lives was showing a scene of him and Yuan Shao galloping through the long streets of Luoyang. They were on tall horses, clad in green robes and red armor—the picture of worldly life and youthful spirit.
"Let it go, let it go!"
Cao Cao laughed aloud, took the Meng Po Soup, and was about to drink it.
Suddenly, a voice roared, "Ten Halls Yama, all of you, come see me!"
The childish roar was accompanied by a violent tremor that shook the entire Underworld. The four souls standing before the Bridge of Helplessness lost their footing and nearly fell!
The Meng Po Soup at Cao Cao’s lips spilled completely!
"What was...that?!"
The four souls snapped their heads up to see that the sky above the Nine Nether had been stomped into pieces.
Liu Bei sniffled and muttered subconsciously,
"Why does that voice sound so familiar?"
The thought had barely formed when the four souls saw ten towering figures rise into the air from the sprawling Ghost City in the distance, all looking anxious and hurried.
"Are those the legendary Ten Halls Yama, who command life, death, and lifespan?" Sun Jian asked instinctively, his heart pounding.
"I wonder which Great Immortal Family from the myths it could be... to shatter the Nine Nether with a single shout and a stomp of the foot, making the Ten Halls Yama rush over one after another to pay their respects..."
"How dare you speak of the Yama behind their backs?"
The terrified Ghost Messenger at their side snapped back to his senses and raised his hand to strike. Cao Mengde and Yuan Benchu instinctively moved to protect them.
Just then, that vast and majestic... yet childish voice sounded from the Celestial Vault once more.
"Old Yama, I’ve come for four people... ah, no, four souls!"
The somewhat familiar, childish voice boomed,
"One is named Liu Bei, one is Cao Cao, and then there’s Yuan Shao and... Sun Jian? That should be his name. Hand them over, or I’ll tear down your Underworld!"
The thunderous voice echoed through the Underworld as the four souls stared at each other in bewilderment.
"It’s... Xiaonian!" Liu Bei exclaimed in delight, finally certain that it was Lu Nian’s voice!
The other three souls felt dizzy. Sun Jian was dumbfounded.
"You mean... that little porcelain doll?"
’How is that possible?!’ Yuan Benchu muttered in a daze. He found it absurd. The mysterious Immortal Family member who had shattered the Nine Nether and was ordering the Ten Halls Yama around...
’...was that little girl from the Daoist Temple, who still sounded like she was fresh off her mother’s milk?’
Cao Mengde subconsciously shook his head like a rattle drum.
’Impossible, absolutely impossible...’
The words had barely left his lips when a divine palm reached down, seized the four souls, and scooped them up, accompanied by the fawning voice of a certain Yama:
"Here they are, here they are! The souls are here, and they’re all safe and sound..."
The Ghost Messenger on the Bridge of Helplessness was utterly flabbergasted.
The four souls felt the world spin around them. Before they could even process what was happening, they had been snatched back to the Human World.
At this very moment, beside a desolate mountain, the colossal bodies of the Ten Halls Yama stood nearly as tall as the mountain itself.
King Qin Guang held the four souls in his palm, bowing his head respectfully.
"The four souls have been brought here."
On the desolate mountain, several people walked out of the Hongjun Temple. The three Zhang Jiao brothers felt their hearts pound violently. They looked from the towering Ten Halls Yama to the little tyke strutting with her head held high, completely bewildered.
Zhuge Kongming followed behind Lu Nian, his expression having eased slightly, as if he had let out a sigh of relief.
Little Lu Nian tilted her head up and asked hesitantly,
"My mom didn’t follow me, did she?"
The Ten Halls Yama froze for a moment before understanding. With strange expressions, they all shook their heads.
"No, the Princess has gone to Spirit Mountain!"
"Good, that’s good."
Lu Nian broke into a grin again and waved cheerfully.
"Liu Bei, Liu Bei! I’m over here! Hurry, you can all come back to life now!"
The four souls, who had collapsed in King Qin Guang’s palm, dazedly pushed themselves up. They were still confused, beginning to doubt their own reality.
Just as King Qin Guang was placing his massive hand on the mountain peak to set the four souls down, the Celestial Vault suddenly blazed with light.
"Hmm?"
Lu Nian’s group, Cao Cao’s four souls, and the Ten Halls Yama all instinctively looked up, only to see the starry sky suddenly vanish.
Above them in the Celestial Vault, the Great Sun and the bright moon appeared side-by-side, one to the left and one to the right... No, that wasn’t right!
The scalps of the Ten Halls Yama tingled with fear, and the three Zhang Jiao brothers nearly collapsed!
It wasn’t the Great Sun and the bright moon. It was...
A face. A face so boundlessly large it blotted out everything, silently gazing down upon the Human World!
It wasn’t just them; the entire Human World had noticed the shocking change in the sky.
In Luoyang City, the current Emperor, surrounded by the Ten Eunuchs, walked out of the Imperial Palace and looked up in stunned terror.
Across the Four Seas, Dragon Kings rose, their hearts pounding as they stared at the heavens.
On Taishan, a sleeping Liu Bang burst out of his thatched hut, his expression one of utter shock.
Everywhere under heaven, in all directions, there was nothing but shock and horror.
A Great Cultivator unleashed his Great Magical Power, trying to investigate the truth, only to be met with even greater terror. The entire Human World was resting in the palm of a hand.
The massive face filling the sky belonged to the owner of that hand, who was looking down upon the Human World, studying the lines on their palm!
What... what kind of Divine Technique was this?
Did such incredible power actually exist in the world?
At this moment, all of creation fell silent.
After a long time, the startled populace prostrated themselves in worship. Birds and beasts groveled on the ground, and the gods of mountains and rivers bowed their heads.
Beside the Hongjun Temple, Zhang Jiao spoke as if in a dream, "That face... why does it look so familiar?"
Instinctively, the three brothers turned their heads to look at the spot where the mysterious Temple Master had been sitting. A small palace now rested there.
The small palace was suffused with Profound Mysteries, wreathed in and interwoven with the enigmatic Dao and its principles. Though it sat quietly in place, it also seemed to span across All Realms, all worlds, and all of the Celestial Realms!
Lu Nian’s expression turned serious. With a sharp wave of her hand, the Jade Void Palace flew into her palm, its great doors swinging open.
Everyone present, including the four souls and the Ten Halls Yama, subconsciously peered through the open palace doors.
They saw an old Daoist sitting inside the Daoist Palace, suppressed by Cause and Effect, Time, and other forces.
And this suppressed old Daoist had his hand outstretched, head lowered as he carefully examined his own palm lines.
Upon closer inspection, they saw that in his palm... was a world.
With their Great Grade Cultivation and extremely sharp eyes, Zhang Jiao and the Ten Halls Yama could see the world in the Daoist’s palm with perfect clarity.
They also saw... themselves.
The Daoist was looking at the lines on his palm. The Daoist was in the palace. The Daoist Palace was in the world.
And the world, in turn, was in the lines of the Daoist’s palm.
The entire desolate mountain fell into a dead silence. The Ten Halls Yama looked from the giant face in the sky to the tiny old Daoist suppressed within the tiny Daoist Palace.
This bizarre sense of scale, this terrifying feeling of displacement, made their scalps tingle!
"We’re outta here, we’re outta here..."
King Yama turned tail and ran, trying to flee back to the Nine Nether. King Qin Guang shuddered, dropped the four souls, and fled frantically along with the other nine Yama Kings!
"You old Daoist!"
Little Lu Nian’s expression was sharp. Wielding the Three-Bejeweled Ruyi, she struck brazenly into the Daoist Palace, aiming for the Daoist.
But the Old Temple Master merely smiled faintly, raising his palm slightly to face the Ruyi.
At that moment, the giant face that filled the Celestial Vault was gone, replaced by a Jade Ruyi even larger than the entire Human World, which was now pressing down!
Heaven and earth trembled.
Lu Nian’s face changed. She abruptly stopped her attack, and the Ruyi descending from the sky also halted. This terrifying and bizarre sight left even Zhuge Kongming speechless!
"What. Are. You. Doing!"
Little Lu Nian spoke one word at a time, staring at the Old Temple Master in the Daoist Palace. Her small, wrinkled face was filled with gravity.
’This guy...’
’He’s the strongest person I’ve faced since coming out here!’
’His method of controlling heaven and earth is too strange. It’s beyond common sense, it defies all logic!’
Inside the Daoist Palace, the Old Temple Master looked up calmly. Stroking the world in his palm, he said with a smile,
"Little girl, rest assured. I am but a humble wanderer, not your enemy. I am merely here to..."
As he spoke, he reached his other hand into the world in his palm. With a grab and a toss, he pulled out three living beings: a bewildered White Lotus Saintess, Zhang Daoling, and Zhang Buyi!
The three stared at each other, the hairs on their bodies standing on end. The White Lotus Saintess struck out with her palm without hesitation, but the Old Temple Master suppressed her with a chuckle.
In the next instant,
the Old Temple Master, holding the Heaven and Earth in the Palm with one hand and the three captives with the other, rose gracefully and walked out of the Daoist Palace step by step!
The chains of Cause and Effect from the Jade Void Palace that had been binding him all shattered.
The Old Temple Master stepped out of the Daoist Palace and, under everyone’s terrified gazes, leaped down to the ground. He said with a smile,
"Fellow Daoists, have you two come to cause trouble for me?"
As soon as his voice fell, the world in the Old Temple Master’s palm trembled slightly, and the entire Human World trembled with it.
Immediately, two figures emerged from the void, walking into the world, into the Daoist’s palm, and came to stand before him!
A chill went through Lu Nian’s heart. She shielded the four souls and Zhuge Kongming as she retreated.
Meanwhile, the captured White Lotus Saintess and Zhang Buyi bowed down piously and respectfully.
"Mother of Non-Birth!"
"Innocent Ancient Buddha!!"
The arrivals were none other than the Immortal Mother and the six-armed Innocent Ancient Buddha!
Lu Nian discreetly stuffed the four souls back into their respective bodies and exchanged a look with Zhuge Kongming. They both saw the gravity in each other’s eyes.
’The revered figures of the White Lotus Sect?’
’Mother of Non-Birth, Innocent Ancient Buddha...’
Cao Mengde and the others, their souls returned to their bodies, didn’t dare to speak. The day’s events had exceeded their wildest imaginations; what they had witnessed in a single day surpassed everything they had seen in all their past years!
The atmosphere on the desolate mountain peak grew heavy.
The Immortal Mother suddenly broke into a smile and said admiringly,
"Fellow Daoist Hongjun, your Divine Techniques are truly impressive. This Heaven and Earth in the Palm, in terms of its Profound Mysteries, already shows some characteristics of a Dao Fruit..."
The Old Temple Master’s expression was calm, and he didn’t reply, but inwardly he scoffed.
’This is the Divine Technique of Shakyamuni, which I inherited when I took his place. Of course it’s profound, isn’t it?’
’Before Shakyamuni gave up his great position, he was already at the level of a Fake Dao Fruit!’
He lifted his eyelids slightly and said indifferently,
"So, what brings you two Fellow Daoists here?"
The Immortal Mother and the Innocent Ancient Buddha exchanged a glance. After a moment of consideration, the former said politely,
"Fellow Daoist, you’ve captured three of my subordinates. These three are quite important to us. Might I ask how they offended you? We can offer compensation on their behalf."
’In the Current World, with illusory history on the verge of becoming reality, this person is a potential ally. If we were to accidentally offend him at this critical moment,’
’and turn a powerful future ally into an enemy, it would be a huge headache!’
’After all, although this Hongjun Daoist is also a Daluo, he’s someone that even those with Dao Fruits cannot see through!’
On the other side, the hearts of Cao Mengde’s group of four pounded, and the three Zhang Jiao brothers couldn’t help but swallow nervously. Although this Mother of Non-Birth and Innocent Ancient Buddha had only recently made a name for themselves,
rumor had it that they had other names and were among the absolute top-tier Great Immortal Families!
Under the solemn gazes of Lu Nian and the others, Lu Xuan once again gave a peaceful smile.
"These three? They didn’t offend me, but I’ve taken an interest in them. So what if I want to take them away?"
The Immortal Mother’s expression changed slightly. She cursed inwardly and was about to speak when the Innocent Ancient Buddha said coldly,
"Fellow Daoist, that’s enough. We have already given you enough face. Don’t..."
’This is bad,’ the Immortal Mother thought. And indeed it was.
In the next instant, the Old Temple Master looked up domineeringly, and the palm holding the world slammed down, flying toward the Innocent Ancient Buddha’s large face!
"Noisy," he said.
BANG!!
The Celestial Vault suddenly darkened as the entire Human World smashed into the Innocent Ancient Buddha’s face.
The Human World shook violently.
(More to come later)
