Xianye

Chapter 466 The crime of having a jade

The candlelight was as bright as day, and the pearls and jade shone brightly.

Everywhere one looked, everything in the hall was magnificent and exquisite, overflowing with dazzling and vibrant colors. However, the owner of this place was already gloomy and dejected, exuding a gray and somber feeling as if he were withered branches and decaying leaves, seemingly out of place in this magnificent hall.

However, after a century, in the old monkey's view, the once dashing and handsome Taoist priest was already nearing the end of his life.

His eyebrows and hair were sparse and gray, his eyes were withered and bony, and his once fair and plump flesh had all withered away, leaving only a thin layer of old skin covering his decaying bones. His back was also covered with strange sores the size of bowls, which was shocking to see.

From a distance, it looks like a hideous old corpse sitting on a couch, which makes people look astonished.

Upon hearing the old monkey's sigh, Chen Yushu remained stunned for a long time before seemingly coming back to his senses.

He covered his mouth and coughed like a tattered rag, and after a long while, he seemed about to say something, but then suddenly fell silent.

"Because of the curse you were cursed, the seven states and seven seas of the heavens have been thrown into complete chaos. Now the Great Ren State is completely surrounded, and not even a fly can get out. Half a year ago, I glimpsed from afar that Fa Chi Shen seemed to be trying to break through the siege, but he was killed and driven back by your father. He really wanted to use Fa Chi Shen's head to sacrifice to you."

"If it weren't for the fact that your father and those important officials of the Divine Dynasty are currently confronting the God of Law, I wouldn't dare to come and see you..."

Seeing that Chen Yushu did not answer, the old monkey was not annoyed. He just slowly scratched his head and kept sighing.

After an unknown amount of time, Chen Yushu slowly raised his head and spoke in a hoarse voice:
“I am protected by my father’s divine golden seal and the banner bearing the inscription ‘All Gods Respect’, and I also have the assistance of the clay puppet. I’m afraid that the spell cast by the Dharma God has greatly damaged my vital energy…”

The Great Sage Zhulong sent me a letter a month ago, saying that given the current situation, it would be difficult for the Dharma-holding Divine General to last long.

The old monkey recalled the scene he had glimpsed from afar in Da Renzhou half a year ago, and nodded firmly:
"During the reign of Emperor Panxu, there was a coup in the Zidu Palace. Legend has it that a celestial concubine took advantage of the Emperor's tour of the underworld to practice witchcraft in the palace with clay puppets, intending to plot against Emperor Guangqi and install her own son on the throne. Fortunately, she was exposed by the Heavenly Venerable of Bliss."

After the incident, the killings were so numerous that we won't go into details.

The Celestial Venerable who used the clay puppet to cast the spell was severely weakened by the backlash of the clay puppet before the officials of the Heavenly Court could even come to arrest him. He was trapped in the formation by Emperor Guangqi, who had not yet attained enlightenment, and a group of his friends from the Thunder Department. In the end, he had no choice but to surrender.

While the Lord is indeed powerful, He was previously wounded by your Father and is no longer fully mighty.

Curses are inherently harmful to nature and morality; even an undamaged mud puppet suffers such a powerful backlash, so the incomplete mud puppet goes without saying.

This time, under your father's wrath, the Divine Master will likely have no chance of escape!

Then the old monkey hesitated for a moment, and then laughed at himself:
"To be able to drag down a dignified God-King of the Divine Path... you and I aren't at a loss, are we?"

Chen Yushu did not answer. After getting up from the bed, female servants filed in and invited Chen Yushu into the spirit pool in the inner hall to help him wash and change his clothes.

The old monkey was clearly sitting in the outer room, but the group of female servants seemed to ignore him.

Before long, as a mysterious golden crown was carefully placed on his head, Chen Yushu looked up and saw his reflection in the mirror, which looked like a sickly ghost on a grave. He remained silent for a long time.

Afterwards, Chen Yushu picked up the pearl pill from the jade plate and took it as usual. He circulated his divine power several times, and a faint trace of color appeared on his face, but it gradually disappeared.

"Is it not Wu Hong and his men's shift today?"

He was ushered out of the palace and noticed that the people standing on both sides of the imperial path were not the usual familiar faces. He couldn't help but ask a question.

"Gao Heng of Huangling Prefecture surrendered and then rebelled again. Because the Divine King and several important ministers were all outside Da Ren Prefecture, the country was vulnerable. Gao Heng had already rallied 100,000 wandering gods and several groups of celestial demons from Menglou Prefecture, and was wreaking havoc in the southeast..."

A female official stepped forward upon hearing the sound, bowed in greeting, and whispered:
"When Master Ziding saw that Gao Heng was difficult to control, he transferred General Wu Hong and several of the Lingxu Guards in front of the palace to his command, and they were all sent to quell Gao Heng's rebellion."

After speaking, the female official was somewhat uneasy. She quickly handed over a letter with both hands and carefully said:

"Because the Crown Prince was unwell, he finally managed to fall asleep. The previous time, Master Ziding dared not disturb him and lingered outside the palace for three days before hesitating to leave. This is Master Ziding's memorial, which I humbly present to Your Majesty."

Chen Yushu remained silent for a moment, but Chen Heng sensed a sudden surge of anger rising in the man's heart.

His withered fingers trembled violently beneath his sleeve, but he remained outwardly calm as he said:

"It is only right that Gao Heng, this scoundrel, surrendered and then rebelled again; Heaven and man cannot tolerate him."

I am currently unable to attend court, and Wu Hong and Lingxu Guards are my personal troops; they should share my burdens… Ziding’s actions are not a fault, and submitting a letter to explain himself is rather distant.”

After saying this, he took the letter presented by the female official, but without even looking at it, he used both hands to slowly tear the letter to shreds.

"Let's go. It seems that Master Bai obtained a great elixir from beyond the heavens just for me last time. Although it won't help much, we shouldn't let his kindness go to waste."

Chen Yushu turned around and said.

"Is this lowly servant girl implying that she's pleading for Chen Ziding?"

The old monkey followed with his hands behind his back, frowning as he said, "You can't even kill a mere palace servant now? For the sake of sharing life and death, how about I do it for you?"

Chen Yushu ignored him.

When it came time to board the red-wheeled sandalwood palanquin, Chen Yushu insisted on not being helped. As he stepped up the stairs, he stumbled and nearly hit his forehead, drawing blood. Fortunately, his attendants quickly caught him, preventing him from getting into a more embarrassing situation.

"..."

Chen Yushu was momentarily dazed, then gave a bitter laugh after a long while, suddenly feeling somewhat disheartened:
"Looks like I really should die."

He turned and walked back, his voice calm:
"Tell Bai Sanren for me that I will be breaking my promise today."

The old monkey shrugged, glanced at the group of palace servants who were now silent with fear, and turned around to follow Chen Yushu's steps.

For the next nine days, Chen Yushu simply sat in the hall, silent and forbidding anyone to visit him. The heavy aura of death emanating from him grew stronger and stronger.

The old monkey seemed to sense its impending doom, for once it lost its smile and simply sat listlessly on the beam.

During this time, Chen Heng could still hear the voice of the White-Haired Man shouting outside the hall.

The man seemed to have brought with him the elixir he had painstakingly obtained, but the palace gates were tightly closed. After lingering outside the palace for several days, he could only sigh and take his leave.

That night, Chen Yushu, who had been sitting idly, suddenly looked up and said inexplicably:
"Will I still be me after reincarnation?"

The old monkey on the beam pondered for a moment, then said:

"Your primordial spirit is indestructible, so you are naturally you. However, if you want to comprehend this level and recall your past lives, you need to attain a truly great realm!"
"In this matter, it's difficult for others to help you. Not only is it arduous and exhausting, but if they were to lend a hand, it would only taint your primordial spirit and hinder your path in future lives. However, on the other hand..."

After speaking, the old monkey scratched his chin, glanced at Chen Yushu, and then said:
"Even if you were reincarnated and guided back to the Void Emperor Heaven by your father, you probably still wouldn't have achieved what you have today."

Cultivating the Tao, cultivating the Tao...

This is not something that can be done simply by following the instructions.

I once saw a kind of acrobatic performance by mortals in the heavens, called rope walking. A rope was placed between two peaks, and the performer had to walk from one peak to the other. His body was attached to the rope, and his feet were suspended thousands of feet away. When he moved, he swayed like an autumn leaf in the wind and trembled like a small boat on the waves.

The slightest mistake could cost them their lives, and even if they were lucky enough to succeed, the street performer wouldn't dare say he could reliably complete the performance again.

And how similar is this acrobatic performance called "Tethering" to our spiritual cultivation?

Chen Yushu listened silently to this speech, then raised his head and said:

“That makes some sense. Although I have now attained the ‘Heavenly Decree True Talisman,’ I would never dare to say that I could achieve the same level again if I were to cultivate it all over again.”

Seeing this, the old ape raised his eyebrows, wanting to speak again, but seeing that Chen Yushu had suddenly fallen silent, he had no choice but to stop talking.

Another half hour passed before Chen Yushu's voice slowly rang out, its meaning enigmatic:

"Since I was cursed, I have lived like this for fifty-seven years, watching myself decay day by day, living a life worse than death."

Yes, only now do I truly understand that there is indeed great terror between life and death...

Reincarnation, reincarnation—the past me is not the present me, and the present me is not the future me. I've thought it through; if I were to die and be reincarnated like this, I wouldn't want to.

While the old monkey was still pondering Chen Yushu's words, he suddenly spoke again:
"Does that Senior Kongkong have no intention of making a move?"

"I've repeatedly sent messages to Dou Yutian, but I haven't received a response." The old monkey shook his head upon hearing this: "My life is already tied to yours, how could I not care about this matter?"

"is it?"

Chen Yushu sighed, and after a long silence, he said:
"That's the only way."

After saying this, Chen Yushu suddenly sent a few messages to the old monkey.

The latter looked astonished and quickly jumped up from the beam, grabbed Chen Yushu's arm, and pulled him down to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, two figures suddenly appeared in the treasure vault containing the "Transformation Diagram of the Void Emperor".

With a mere flick of his sleeve, the Imperial Guards, who were patrolling back and forth, trembled and were all subdued.

The old monkey looked at Chen Yushu, then at the magnificent ink painting in the hall that was as tall as Mount Tai, and was truly astonished.

"When did this happen?" he pressed.

"Fifty-seven years, when I was under the curse."

"Then why have you been dragging this out until now?"

"Because I am going to die."

Chen Yushu remained expressionless.

He personally picked up a palace lantern, and as he approached, he threw it with all his might at the image of the Emperor's transformation.

Once the flames touched the ink in the painting, they grew wildly, and in a short time they seemed poised to burn the sky.

The sun, moon, mountains, rivers, dragons, phoenixes, and leopards seemed to come alive, swirling and flying in the fire. Then, a dark cave entrance appeared in the painting, and from the other side of the entrance, a grand and majestic voice echoed from afar:
"It seems you've finally figured it out?"

The main hall was now engulfed in flames. Had the old monkey not used his great magical power to conceal the fire, imperial guards would likely have arrived shortly. Chen Yushu raised his head high, his robes billowing in the firelight, as if he were drunk and mad.

Against the backdrop of that enormous wall of fire, its form appeared as tiny as a mustard seed, as if it could be licked away by the flames at any moment, leaving nothing behind.

“Not bad,” Chen Yushu said calmly.

A burst of laughter came from behind the door, deafeningly loud.

"Dharma Master... Did this person actually bury his divine golden seal in this painting? How audacious!" The old monkey stared at the dark cave entrance floating in the sea of ​​fire for a long time, praising it repeatedly.

……

……

The fire blazed through the towering buildings, as if a sudden dawn had broken through, and everything was ablaze with red.

At this moment, Chen Heng saw in the pitch-black cave a seven-layered black lotus flower of immense size, and sitting in the flower was a three-headed celestial being in black robes and a green crown.

Although His body was as tall as the sun and the sky, and it seemed that the stars would revolve around Him, of the three heads of that god, only the head in the middle was still majestic. The two heads on the left and right were withered and faded, the divine wheel behind the head was broken, and even the eyes were slightly closed.

“The Dharma sustains the divine…” Chen Heng thought to himself.

The golden seal of the incense and deity path is not ordinary. Unlike the immortal path, this seal is almost a vessel for carrying the Dao. Once it is damaged, the owner of the golden seal will be like a broken arm.

However, this treasure also possesses a variety of incredible abilities and extraordinary uses.

The reason why Fa Chi Shen hid his own divine golden seal in this Void Emperor Transformation Diagram was only to conceal a thought he left in the painting, nothing more.

Otherwise, this painting could not have deceived Chen Yu and the other important officials of the Divine Dynasty.

However, according to common sense, this kind of action is somewhat of a waste of talent.

If the Dharma Master himself held this seal, his combat power would increase by another 10% or 20%.

Although they still could not defeat Chen Yu, the situation had improved somewhat.

“I buried the golden seal deep until now, and then gave up the remaining great fortune I have accumulated since I took control of the world to enhance it, just so that I could say a few words to you with my thoughts at this moment… Such a price is truly immeasurable.”

The voice of the Dharma Master came from afar:
"Chen Yushu, last time I was able to talk to you for a few words while casting the spell, thanks to the power of the clay puppet. Although you only came to see me today, my conditions remain unchanged."

"Conditions?" the old monkey interjected.

Fa Chi Shen glanced at him, seemingly recognizing the old monkey's identity, a hint of mockery on his face:
“As long as Chen Yushu takes the two items, I will give up my own vital essence and use the clay puppet to break the great curse on his body.”

The old monkey looked suspicious.

"The head is determined by the child, and the jade is made in Langhuan." Chen Yushu's voice rang out from the side.

The old monkey slowly turned his head and saw that Chen Yushu's eyes were indifferent. After a moment of stunned silence, he suddenly clapped his hands and burst into laughter, bending over backward.

"Excellent! Excellent! This is the kind of person we should be!"

The old monkey was overjoyed.

The Dharma Master watched this scene with cold eyes. The head of the deity who had been struck exhaled and muttered to himself with a sigh:
"I am no match for Chen Yu. Since he is destined to seize my foundation and ruin my path, rather than struggling and fleeing to the outside world and doing useless work, I might as well do something interesting."

Judging from your appearance today, my act of cutting off my finger to feed the wolf must have some merit.

Seeing that Chen Yushu had a chance of survival, the old monkey quickly chimed in, "Excuse my bluntness, but I wonder if the God-King will agree to it afterward?"

“You monkey offspring of the Taoist Kongkong, how dare you overstep your bounds like this? I would not stoop to deceiving a child, and since I have already set up the grand show, there is no reason for me to dismantle it.”

The Dharma Master's voice was faint:
“You also possess some cultivation. I have already engraved this oath word by word on the golden seal, establishing a Dao contract. You will know it at a glance.”

The old monkey, still somewhat skeptical, activated his divine eyes and gazed intently at the ink painting that had turned into a sea of ​​fire. After a moment, he asked doubtfully:
"I still don't understand why the God-King would use this painstaking effort on Yu Shu. The Great Dao cultivated by the God-King doesn't seem to be based on divination. Could it be that he saw something and therefore did this?"

The Dharma Master did not answer.

At this moment, Chen Yushu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke:

"If I do those two things, there will be no place for me in the Void Emperor Heaven. Since the God wants to see a scene of father and son killing each other, he should at least give me some hope of survival and help me escape from the Void Emperor Heaven."

The God of Dharma was surprised; all three of them were laughing at this moment, and he clapped his hands lightly, saying:

"I never imagined that after fighting with Chen Yu for so many years, his eldest son would actually stand on my side and even come to me for help?"

After laughing, Fa Chishen shook his head again:

“Right now, your father and I are locked in a tense standoff. Neither side can spare many men. Otherwise, if a breach is made, the situation will inevitably collapse, and my decisive battle with Chen Yu will be brought forward.”

Before Chen Yushu could speak, Fa Chishen continued:
"However, I still have two retainers outside the universe. Since sending them back to Da Renzhou would only have been suicide, it would have been better for them to stay and hide outside the universe. Now they can be used by you."

However, they harbor an old grudge against one of your friends, and this is something your family will need to consider. I'll stop here; if I say more, I'm afraid it will alarm Chen Yu.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the dark cave door suddenly shrank, transforming into a heavy golden seal and disappearing.

The figure of the Dharma Master vanished, and the sea of ​​fire in the hall rapidly flowed back, instantly transforming into the thousand-foot-long ink painting, which still stood majestically before him.

Everything was as usual, as if nothing had ever happened.

"All that effort, just for a few words today? This Dharma Master is certainly willing to spend money. Tsk, it's really pitiful for us to encounter such an unconventional person."

Seeing this, the old monkey sighed:
"And your father's methods are truly unfathomable. If it weren't for the hair bestowed upon me by the Ancestor Kongkong, I wouldn't dare to show myself so easily, even if he weren't in this state..."

Chen Yushu did not answer, but turned to look outside the hall with a cold gaze.

“I wish to summon Ziding to Dongqing Prefecture to see me.”

After a long pause, he looked at the old monkey and said, "I need your help with the matter later!"

"How dare I refuse to serve you?"

The old monkey smiled, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Chen Ziding, who had been anxiously waiting in front of the road, finally received a summons. He was led by a female official dressed in a bright red palace dress through several arched doors and towards the warm pavilion.

Knowing that he had come to pay homage today, Chen Ziding did not bring any weapons.

He simply removed his sword outside the hall as usual, then was led to lift the curtain, take a deep breath, and step across the threshold.

“Ziding…”

Upon hearing the announcement, Chen Yushu, who was on the jade couch, chuckled softly, his eyes burning like dark fire.

When I saw my once dashing and spirited friend now lying on his side on the couch, seemingly struggling to get up, his body emaciated, like a skeleton wrapped in a magnificent robe.

Chen Ziding felt a pang of sorrow in his heart and could not bear to look any longer, so he lowered his head even further.

"..."

Chen Yushu's gaze lingered on his face for a moment before quickly shifting away.

At this moment in the warm pavilion, Chen Ziding first apologized profusely for arbitrarily mobilizing Chen Yushu's personal guards. However, after being interrupted by Chen Yushu with a smile, he turned the conversation to Gao Heng, who had surrendered and then rebelled again.

“Gao Heng has a long-standing grudge against me. I thought I could win him over with kindness, but this scoundrel is stubborn and unrepentant. Even if he escapes to the ends of the earth now, he will only be surviving for a short time. He is not worth fearing.”

Although Chen Ziding spoke cryptically, Chen Yushu still astutely deduced it.

If it weren't for Xinghuo's summons, Chen Ziding would probably have already joined forces with the Vajra monks sent by Zhihun Monk, trapping Gao Heng in the southeast.

Gao Heng was able to lead the remaining troops to safety, and this was all thanks to him.
Chen Heng sensed that Chen Yushu's mind was suddenly somewhat troubled, but he remained outwardly calm and said:

"There's no need to mention Gao Heng. I summoned Ziding here today simply to have a few words with you."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ziding bowed respectfully, appearing to listen attentively.

Chen Yushu said calmly:

"Firstly, if a subject has committed a grave crime, such as deceiving his master, his crime deserves death."

Chen Ziding looked up in surprise, about to plead guilty and defend himself, when the female official in the bright red palace dress behind him suddenly let out a strange laugh, easily reaching out and piercing through his waist and abdomen, grabbing his golden elixir in her palm.

This sudden turn of events happened so fast that even Chen Ziding didn't have time to react.

He turned around and unleashed a fierce slash of sword light, only to find that the female official had somehow transformed into a strange old monkey with a beaming smile on her face. His divine power had not even managed to shake the old monkey in the slightest.

"Yu Shu?"

Chen Ziding was in a daze and wanted to say something, but he collapsed to the ground.

"Second..."

Chen Yushu slowly approached Chen Ziding, his steps faltering. He looked down at Chen Ziding, his gaze seemingly both relieved and self-deprecating.

"A gentleman is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime."

Chen Heng heard Chen Yushu speak softly.

(End of this chapter)