A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1405 Ordered to Capture the Demon! (Please Subscribe!)

P.S.: I'll only be writing two chapters to transition into the main storyline, and then I won't start a new volume. After those two chapters, I'll be writing about 'The People in the Alley' in the new world.

When Hua Shier's consciousness stabilized after a period of time-space reversal, he opened his eyes to find himself in a magnificent temple.

This is a typical ancient Chinese temple-style building, but its scale is far beyond ordinary. The main hall is more than ten feet high, and the vermilion pillars require several people to hug. The beams and rafters are painted with exquisite paintings, depicting the sun, moon, stars, mountains, seas, rivers, and various mythical beasts and birds, all lifelike.

The light, coming from an unknown source within the hall, reflected a soft and sacred halo.

Hua Shier was sitting on the throne in the center of the main hall.

The throne was carved from a single piece of warm white jade, with a simple and grand design. The armrests were engraved with cloud and thunder patterns, and behind it was a huge round bronze mirror, its surface as clear as autumn water, reflecting his current appearance.

Looking down, Hua Shier found himself wearing a magnificent and imposing divine general's armor.

The armor is silver-white with a faint golden halo flowing across its surface. The shoulder guards, breastplate, and wrist guards are intricately engraved with dragon, cloud, and star patterns.

Most striking is the three-peaked phoenix crown on her head, with golden tassels hanging down on both sides, swaying gently, and a fist-sized pearl set in the center, emitting a cool glow.

Although his face still resembled his own, a more imposing and awe-inspiring air had appeared between his brows, and a faint golden vertical line was visible in the center of his forehead—the location of his Heavenly Eye. He sat there, exuding an air of quiet authority, with a faint divine light flowing around him, his appearance dignified and solemn.

The hall was filled with the fragrance of incense, with wisps of smoke rising from several bronze incense burners in the corners, and the air was filled with the refreshing scent of sandalwood.

On either side of the shrine stood several divine generals dressed in golden armor, each with a robust build, holding weapons, and solemn expressions.

Before Hua Shier could fully adjust to this sudden change in identity, two figures hurriedly walked in from outside the hall.

They were two middle-aged men dressed in ancient official robes, wearing black official hats, dark blue official robes, and jade belts.

The two men had slightly pale faces and carried a faint aura of yin energy, but their demeanor exuded an air of authority.

"Your Excellency, the True Lord!"

The two men stepped forward, bowed, and said urgently, "An angel has arrived with a decree!"

For some reason, Hua Twelve was still immersed in a daze during this time travel, and subconsciously blurted out:

"Angels? How can there be birdmen?"

Upon hearing this, the two men in official robes changed their expressions drastically and hurriedly waved their hands:
"Your Excellency, please be careful what you say! That is a messenger sent by His Majesty the Jade Emperor, a righteous deity of the Heavenly Court. He must not be neglected!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Hua Shier's mind was jolted, and a vast and ancient memory surged in like a tidal wave.

He instantly realized where he was—this was the world of "Journey to the West"!

His current identity is that of a projection clone of Erlang Zhenjun in this world, and these memories belong to this projection clone.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Hua Shier's fusion with his main body is somewhat slow; that's because he overthrew his superiors. These smaller world clones are all separated from his main body. If his main body were to fuse with these clones, it would only take a moment.

Hua Twelve is now one with the main body, or rather, he is the main body, so merging with the clone is very easy for him.

By merging the memories of his clone, Hua Shier learned that the crisis the system mentioned that his clone was facing in this world was actually caused by himself.

Because he merged with the primordial spirit of Erlang Shen's original body, the original body's consciousness was on the verge of dissipation. As a result, Erlang Shen's avatars and projections in other heavens and myriad worlds were also affected. On the surface, they seemed to be in a meditative state, but in reality, their consciousness was blurred and they were unable to deal with external affairs.

These clones should have naturally become his incarnations after he fully merged with his original spirit, allowing him to enjoy offerings and accumulate faith in various realms.

But now, something has happened in this world of "Journey to the West"—the Heavenly Court has issued an edict, and if no one receives and responds to it, it will inevitably arouse suspicion, expose the abnormality of the clone, and thus bring trouble.

That's why the system urgently teleported him here to resolve the crisis.

For now, all he needs to do is deal with the Jade Emperor's decree for this world, then find an excuse to go into seclusion and delay for ten or eight years until his main body is fully integrated. At that time, the clone in this world will completely become his avatar, and he will have no more worries.

Although it has only integrated some recent memories and has not yet absorbed memories from the distant War of the Gods, it is already enough to deal with the current situation.

He also recognized the two men in official robes in front of him as ghost judges of the Guanjiangkou Taoist temple, who were the righteous gods of the underworld and were responsible for assisting him in managing the divine affairs of this place.

After clearing his mind, Hua Twelve said in a deep voice:
"Since you are an angel, please come in."

Upon hearing this, the two ghost judges looked troubled and quickly advised:

"Your Excellency, this is unacceptable! The angel represents His Majesty the Jade Emperor. According to custom, you must set up an incense table and personally go out to greet him; only then will it be in accordance with proper etiquette."

A surge of intense disgust and resistance welled up within Hua Shier, and he almost blurted out:
He said things like, "I am a god in the flesh, guarding the mouth of the Guanjiang River, obeying orders but not summons."

But then he suddenly realized—this wasn't his own emotion! It was a memory and habitual reaction from the Erlang Shen body that was merging with him!
The original body seems to harbor deep resentment towards its uncle, the Jade Emperor.

Hua Shier quickly suppressed his emotions.

The original body may harbor resentment, but he doesn't. In the past, when he returned to reality from mission worlds, he would set up an altar and burn incense to pray every time he participated in a lottery. Now he is simply welcoming the angel according to the rules. What is there to object to?
Moreover, according to the clone's memories, the relationship between Erlang Shen and the Jade Emperor in this world seems to differ from some versions of the legend.

There is no story of splitting the mountain to save one's mother here!
Come to think of it, while the general trend remains the same in each of the smaller worlds, the details often differ. If there were a world like the one in "The Lotus Lantern," it wouldn't be Yang Jian splitting the mountain to save his mother, but rather his nephew Chen Xiang.

Thinking about this, Hua Shier couldn't help but find it amusing.

If the original character knew about this plot where "the nephew splits the mountain to save his mother" and he becomes the villain, I wonder what he would think?
"You're right."

Hua Shier nodded: "Then set up an incense table and wait for me to lead the crowd to greet you!"

The two ghost judges breathed a sigh of relief and quickly went to make arrangements.

A short while later, everything was ready.

Hua Shier straightened his clothes and led his subordinates out of the Zhenjun Temple.

An altar has been set up in the square outside the temple, with incense burners and offerings on it.

Behind Hua Twelve, besides the two ghost judges, followed six imposing divine generals—the six brothers of Meishan:

They were Kang Anyu, Zhang Boshi, Yao Gonglin, and Li Huanzhang, four Grand Commandants, and Guo Shen and Zhijian, two Generals.

All six men were fully armored and armed, with solemn expressions.

A wisp of auspicious cloud slowly descended from the sky.

Standing on the clouds was a divine general, twelve feet tall, with a face as black as iron, eyes like copper bells, wearing a golden helmet and golden armor, holding a large axe with embroidered patterns, his body exuding a ghostly aura yet radiating divine light—he was none other than the famous ghost immortal of the Heavenly Court, the Mighty Ghost King.

This Mighty Ghost King was once known as one of the three great ghost kings of the world, along with the One-Horned Ghost King and the Mangshan Ghost King. Later, he submitted to the Heavenly Court and became incredibly powerful. Now, he serves as a messenger in the Heavenly Court.

When the Ghost King saw Hua Twelve leading his troops to greet him, he first cupped his hands and said:
"Please forgive me, True Lord. I am burdened with a divine mandate and cannot perform the full ceremony."

Hua Shier recognized the person through his clone's memories and replied politely:

"You're too kind, Ghost King. Since you've come by imperial decree, you should prioritize official business."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the Mighty Ghost King took out a golden scroll from his robes, unfurled it, and read aloud:

"The demon monkey of Flower Fruit Mountain caused chaos by stealing peaches, wine, and pills from the Heavenly Palace, disrupting the Peach Banquet. Now, 100,000 heavenly soldiers and 18 sets of Heavenly Net have surrounded the mountain to subdue him, but they have not yet succeeded."

"I hereby specially order my virtuous nephew and sworn brothers to go to Flower Fruit Mountain to assist in the extermination. After success, you will be promoted and richly rewarded." After reading the decree, the Mighty Ghost King looked at Hua Twelve, waiting for him to receive the decree and express his gratitude.

Hua Twelve did not act immediately, but asked:

"His Majesty said that after success, there will be a high promotion and a great reward. May I ask what the specific reward will be?"

Upon hearing this, the Mighty Ghost King nearly fell off the auspicious cloud.

In all his years as a messenger, this was the first time he had ever encountered someone asking about the details of the rewards upon receiving an imperial decree.

He smiled wryly and said, "This... I don't know either. The decree only says that he will be promoted and rewarded. As for the specifics, His Majesty will make his own decision. You should accept the decree quickly, True Lord!"

The six Meishan brothers and the two ghost judges behind Hua Twelve were also terrified, fearing that their master's words would anger the angels and reach the Jade Emperor's ears, bringing him punishment.

The group exchanged glances and whispered reminders.

Hua Twelve then nodded and said loudly:
"I will do my utmost to carry out His Majesty's decree."

As soon as he finished speaking, the golden imperial edict flew out of the Mighty Ghost King's hand and landed lightly on the incense table.

The Ghost King breathed a sigh of relief, and Chao Hua Twelve bowed slightly.
"This humble god must return to Heaven to report, so I will take my leave now."

After saying this, he rode on auspicious clouds and flew towards the Heavenly Court.

Only after the Ghost King had gone far away did the group of subordinates breathe a sigh of relief.

Back at the main hall of the Zhenjun Temple, the six brothers from Meishan stepped forward to volunteer for battle.

Kang Anyu clasped his hands and said, “True Lord, that demon monkey is incredibly audacious, daring to wreak havoc in the Heavenly Palace. We are willing to accompany you to capture the demon monkey and achieve this great feat!”

Zhang Boshi, Yao Gonglin, and others also said in unison, "We are willing to follow the True Lord!"

Hua Shier didn’t really want to lead his troops to Huaguo Mountain. The imperial decree didn’t even specify the rewards, yet it asked him to risk his life against Sun Wukong.

Moreover, in another world of "Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons," he and Mr. Sun, who wields two watermelon knives, had a "love-hate" relationship.

According to his plan, he would go to Flower Fruit Mountain to make a brief appearance, go through the motions, and then shout, "Where are you going, you demon monkey!" He would then pretend to have bad eyesight, mistake the monkey for someone else, point in a direction and chase after it for a hundred thousand miles, and then he would be out of the picture.

But then I thought, if I don't even bring any soldiers, it would be too obvious that I'm just going through the motions, and people would probably see right through me.

It's better to go all the way and bring the whole crew. When the time comes, we can go easy on them and play it safe, which will not only get us through the task but also prevent anyone from seeing through our act.

"I'm so smart, I have the potential to be a swimming champion."

Hua Shier was secretly pleased, but his face remained solemn as he said, "Very well! Each of you go and muster your troops and follow me on the expedition!"

"Yes, sir!" The six brothers accepted the order, turned around, and strode out of the main hall.

Just then, a loud eagle cry rang out from the sky, its sound shaking the surrounding area, and all the beasts in the mountains and forests bowed their heads in response.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of dogs barking came from the distant mountains. Although it was not the roar of dragons or the howl of tigers, it still had a power to intimidate demons.

In this small world, Erlang Shen's divine eagle and celestial dog were playing near Guanjiang Estuary when they heard the sound of the horn and knew that their master was about to go to war, so they rushed back.

Hua Shier's heart stirred, and he communicated with the pet space with his mind, releasing his divine eagle "Old White" and his celestial hound.

As soon as the two divine beasts appeared, they sensed their master's intentions and transformed into two streaks of light, flying out of the main hall.

After only a few breaths, it flew back.

At this moment, the auras of Lao Bai and Xiaotian Dog both increased slightly, and the divine light in their eyes shone even brighter!

Because in that short period of time, they had already devoured and merged with Erlang Shen's divine eagle and divine dog in this world.

Just as Erlang Shen's true form and his various world avatars are one, these divine beasts' incarnations in different worlds also share the same origin and root.

Seeing the orderly ranks of soldiers outside, he realized he still had a while to wait. He thought that since the missions in the worlds of "Fleet of Time" and "So Young" should be complete, he might as well try his luck with a lottery first.

The system then sent a message, roughly saying that there was a sage's projection in this world, and it needed to conceal its aura and hide the secrets of heaven. The lottery and such could wait until after it left. Unless it wanted to leave this world, it was best not to contact it.

Thus, Hua Shier had no choice but to give up the idea of ​​drawing a prize and turn to digest the memories of the clone she had just received.

Suddenly his eyes lit up. Damn, this Erlang clone in the minor world has actually cultivated the Six Revolutions and Nine Revolutions Profound Technique, and he only knows the Six Revolutions!
Hua Shier had originally planned to fully integrate with the original body and see if he could completely receive the original body's memories before making any plans. But alas, he's run into this mess.

At this moment, he merged with the clone of this world and naturally gained the clone's abilities. In other words, he now possessed the power of the sixth level of the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique.

Hua Shier couldn't wait to view the skill page labeled (Immortal) in his mind.

Sure enough, he found the skill "Nine Revolutions Profound Technique" on the skill page. However, to his surprise, it was marked as the third revolution, not the sixth revolution in his clone's memory.

Hua Shier was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized that it was the difference between the Lesser Thousand Worlds and the Greater Thousand Worlds. The Lesser Thousand Worlds depended on the Greater Thousand Worlds, so all things were projections of the Greater Thousand Worlds. Since they were projections, they were naturally much weaker than the original.

Erlang Shen's projection clone has cultivated to the sixth level of the Nine Revolutions Profound Technique in this world, but if it were to be transferred to the Great Thousand World, it would only reach the third level.

Well, that's probably the only explanation.

However, three reincarnations are enough. After fusing with the original body, it might even improve. Besides, Hua Shier remembers he still has two skill level cards he hasn't used yet. When he fuses with the original body, he can quickly level up the cards and become a saint on the spot!

After admiring the words "Nine Revolutions Profound Technique" for a while, Hua Shier reluctantly looked at the other skills, and was immediately taken aback.

Apart from the four skills "Nine Methods of Sword Forging", "Innate Spiritual Treasure Dao Body", "Secret of the Previous Character" and "Past Amitabha Sutra", all other skills have been upgraded to the highest level "Return to Simplicity" as rated by the system!
Each of these four skills has been improved.

The Nine Methods of Sword Forging has been upgraded from the fifth stage, "Beginner's Practice," to the sixth stage, "Beginner's Practice"!
Hua Shier estimated that the reason his clone did not know the "Nine Methods of Sword Forging" was because he could not find this technique in the clone's memories, so the clone did not practice it. As a result, even though he merged with the clone, he did not gain much mastery of this technique, only improving by one major realm.

Of course, this is not bad either. If he were to cultivate on his own, even with thousands of clones, it would take countless years to advance to a higher realm.

The original "Innate Spiritual Treasure Dao Body" had a "(Remnant)" character at the end, but after merging with Erlang's clone from this world, the "(Remnant)" character disappeared, and it became the true "Innate Spiritual Treasure", only the realm was "(Beginner)"!

Both the "Secret of the Previous Characters" and the "Past Amitabha Sutra" only reach the level of (comprehension and integration).

Hua Shier estimated that this was because these two techniques were for cultivating the primordial spirit, while Erlang Zhenjun was unable to cultivate the primordial spirit, resulting in the primordial spirit of the clone not being that powerful. Therefore, even if they were merged, the help to him would be extremely limited.

However, he was already pleasantly surprised, especially by the improvement of the "Innate Spiritual Treasure Dao Body," which removed the word "crippled." This was truly an unexpected joy. He felt that improving his physical strength even slightly was incredibly difficult, but he never expected that fusing with a clone would have such an effect. At this moment, Hua Twelve had a thought: if it were like the movie "Cosmic Wanted," wouldn't it be too cruel?
Just then, the six brothers of Meishan returned to the main hall and reported that they had gathered all 1,200 grass-root gods of their tribe and were ready to set off.

Although these grass-root gods are not the celestial deities, they are all demons and monsters subdued by Erlang Shen. After being enlightened, they became guardian deities of the temple. Each of them has an extraordinary aura and their power is no less than that of the celestial soldiers, and may even be stronger.

Hua Shier snapped out of his thoughts, nodded, and with a clench of his right hand, a divine weapon appeared out of thin air—Erlang Shen's signature weapon, the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Sword! The sword was twelve feet long, entirely silver-white, with a faint glint of cold light at the blade, and a lifelike silver dragon coiled around the hilt.

"Let's go!" Hua Shier gave the order and walked out of the main hall.

Outside the palace square, 1,200 grass-root gods had formed a battle array, banners waving, exuding a murderous aura. Hua Twelve swung himself onto the divine eagle Old White, with the Howling Celestial Dog close by. He waved to the six brothers of Meishan: "Let's go!"

The next instant, Hua Shier rode eagles and led his hounds, soaring into the sky. Behind him, the six brothers of Meishan, leading 1,200 grass-root gods, also rode the winds, flying eastward in a mighty procession. The divine army traveled on clouds, crossing the Eastern Ocean in an instant, heading straight for Huaguo Mountain.

Thank you to 08a and Little Tiger of the Demon Realm for the donations, and thank you to all the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you so much!