Under One Person: I Opened the Age of Mythology

Chapter 555

Sun Wukong stood in the center of the Qitian Hall, his golden cudgel resting on his shoulder, his gaze sweeping over Nezha and Yang Jian standing in front of him.

The flickering candlelight inside the hall cast intermittent light and shadow on his sharply defined face.

“Those men in black robes are no ordinary people.”

Sun Wukong spoke, his voice deep and powerful.

"Their moves are unpredictable and their teamwork is excellent; they are by no means a hastily assembled rabble."

Nezha frowned, his fingers unconsciously tracing the edge of the sand table: "Great Sage, you said their weapons can release black energy?"

"good."

Sun Wukong nodded, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.

"That energy does not belong to any known spiritual energy system in the Three Realms. Once it enters the body, it will quickly corrode the meridians. If I hadn't used my indestructible body to resist it in time, I would probably have suffered a loss."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jian narrowed all three of his eyes simultaneously:
"In that case, these black-robed men must be guided by a master. Ordinary cultivators could never possibly master such evil arts."

The hall fell silent for a moment, with only the faint sound of burning sandalwood.

Sun Wukong walked to the table and tapped his fingers lightly on the surface, making a crisp rhythmic sound.

“Nezha,” he suddenly spoke, “you are in charge of analyzing the residual energy on the battlefield, and you must find out its source and characteristics. I need to know what kind of evil magic these black-robed men have mastered.”

Nezha immediately straightened his back, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "Great Sage, don't worry, I'll go to the sand table laboratory right away. As long as there's even a trace of residual energy, I can reconstruct its composition!"

Sun Wukong nodded in satisfaction and turned to Yang Jian: "Yang Jian, you are responsible for calming the emotions of the people of Heaven and strengthening defenses everywhere. Those black-robed men can silently infiltrate the lair of ancient ferocious beasts to set up altars, so it's hard to guarantee that they won't launch an attack on Heaven."

"Understood, Your subordinate." Yang Jian replied in a deep voice, his silver armor gleaming coldly in the candlelight. "I will personally inspect every node of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Formation to ensure that nothing goes wrong."

Sun Wukong finally looked at Taibai Jinxing, who had been standing quietly to the side: "Jinxing, you are responsible for compiling all the intelligence on this incident, including the black-robed man's modus operandi, energy characteristics, and possible targets. I want to see the complete report by this time tomorrow."

Venus stroked his long beard and respectfully cupped his hands: "This old minister will go to the library to consult the classics and find any clues related to this incident."

With the tasks assigned, everyone departed. Sun Wukong stood alone in the hall, watching their departing figures, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. After a moment, he turned and walked towards the star-gazing platform at the highest point of the Qitian Hall.

A biting night wind whipped his robes, making them flutter loudly. Sun Wukong stood by the railing, gazing at the vast starry sky. The stars still shone brightly, yet seemed to conceal untold secrets.

“The celestial anomalies thirty-six years ago… the lair of ancient ferocious beasts… the man in black robes…” Sun Wukong muttered to himself, his fingers unconsciously tapping the railing. “It’s all too much of a coincidence.”

His gaze was fixed on the distance, as if piercing through the clouds to confront the unknown threat. The golden cudgel trembled slightly in his hand, seemingly responding to its master's inner unease.

Meanwhile, Nezha had arrived at the sand table laboratory. He carefully took out a jade bottle from his bosom, inside which was sealed a wisp of black energy collected from the battlefield.

"Let me see what kind of background you have..." Nezha muttered to himself, slowly channeling the energy from the jade bottle into the sand table.

The stars on the sand table immediately trembled violently, and the previously harmonious balance of spiritual energy was instantly shattered. Black energy moved through the sand table like a living thing, dimming the starlight wherever it passed.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Nezha's forehead as his fingers moved rapidly across the sand table, adjusting the flow of spiritual energy. His eyes were fixed on every detail of the energy changes, not missing any subtle anomalies.

“Strange…” Nezha’s brows furrowed even more deeply. “This energy is actually devouring the power of stars to grow stronger… it’s like…”

His eyes suddenly widened as he recalled a passage he had seen in an ancient manual: "The Gluttonous Devouring Spirit Technique? Impossible! This technique was lost long ago after the Investiture of the Gods!"

Outside the laboratory, hurried footsteps approached. Without looking up, Nezha shouted, "Don't come in! The energy is unstable!"

The footsteps stopped abruptly, and a heavenly soldier's tense voice came from outside the door: "General, Lord Yang Jian requests your immediate visit to the South Heavenly Gate, saying that he has discovered traces of the man in black robes!"

Nezha's hand trembled slightly, almost disrupting the balance of the sand table. He took a deep breath and steadied himself: "Understood, I'll be right there."

He took one last look at the raging black energy in the sand table, quickly set up a sealing barrier to ensure that the energy would not leak out, and then hurriedly left the laboratory.

Outside the South Heavenly Gate, Yang Jian was leading a troop of heavenly soldiers, ready for battle. Seeing Nezha arrive, he immediately stepped forward: "Have you reached a conclusion on the sand table analysis?"

Nezha shook his head: "For now, we've only confirmed that the energy has a devouring property, and it's suspected to be the ancient evil technique 'Taotie Devouring Spirit.' What's the situation on your end?"

Yang Jian pointed to a hidden corner outside the Southern Heavenly Gate: "The patrolling heavenly soldiers discovered abnormal spiritual energy fluctuations here. After checking, I found that the barrier had been damaged, and..."

He lowered his voice: "The marks are very fresh, no more than three hours old."

Nezha's pupils contracted: "You mean, a man in black robes has infiltrated the Heavenly Court?"

“We cannot rule out that possibility.” Yang Jian said gravely. “I have already ordered increased checks at all entrances and exits, and have also deployed more patrol personnel.”

Just then, a celestial soldier rushed over: "Report! A suspicious figure has been spotted in the direction of the Moon Palace!"

Yang Jian and Nezha exchanged a glance, then simultaneously took to the air and sped off towards the Moon Palace.

Outside the Moon Palace, the fragrance of osmanthus blossoms filled the air, yet it couldn't conceal the faint, almost imperceptible, black energy emanating from them. Yang Jian activated his Heavenly Eye and immediately spotted a dark figure attempting to sneak into the palace gates.

"Stop!" Yang Jian shouted, and his three-pointed double-edged sword was already in his hand.

The shadowy figure paused, neither dodging nor flinching, allowing the weapon to pierce through its chest. Shockingly, however, the blade passed through the figure's body as if it were air, causing no harm whatsoever.

"An illusion?" Nezha exclaimed, simultaneously summoning his Universe Ring and hurling it at the shadowy figure.

The shadowy figure let out an eerie laugh, then vanished, leaving only a single sentence echoing in the air: "Great Sage Equal to Heaven...we will meet again soon..."

Yang Jian sheathed his weapon, his face extremely grim: "It's not a physical form, it's some kind of high-level clone technique. It seems the other side intentionally lured us here."

Nezha clenched his fist: "This is a show of force against us! We must report this to the Great Sage immediately!"

When the two returned to the Qitian Palace, Venus was already waiting inside, holding an ancient bamboo scroll in his hands.

"Where is the Great Sage?" Nezha asked anxiously.

Venus pointed towards the observatory: "The Great Sage has been deep in thought there. While consulting the ancient texts, this old minister discovered an important clue..."

Before the words were finished, Sun Wukong's voice came from outside the hall: "Come in, everyone, I have something to say." The group entered the hall and saw Sun Wukong already sitting in the main seat, his expression more serious than ever before.

"Great Sage, we have discovered..." Nezha was about to report when Sun Wukong raised his hand to stop him.

“I already know,” Sun Wukong said in a deep voice. “The other side not only attacked the lair of the ancient ferocious beast, but also attempted to infiltrate the Heavenly Court. This is not a simple provocation, but a premeditated action.”

Venus stepped forward and unfolded the bamboo scroll in his hand: "Great Sage, this old minister found this in the Scripture Pavilion. In the records of astrological anomalies from thirty-six years ago, an organization called 'Dark Star' was mentioned."

"Dark Star?" Yang Jian frowned. "Never heard of it."

"Because they only exist in the oldest records," Venus explained. "Legend has it that they were a group of cultivators in ancient times who pursued forbidden power, attempting to gain immortality by devouring the power of the stars. Later, they were wiped out by a coalition of gods, but unexpectedly..."

Sun Wukong suddenly stood up and slammed his golden cudgel heavily on the ground: "No matter who they are, since they dare to attack the Heavenly Court, they should be prepared to bear the consequences!"

His gaze swept over everyone present: "From now on, the Heavenly Court is on high alert. Nezha, continue your research on that black energy and find a way to counter it; Yang Jian, conduct a thorough inspection of the Heavenly Court's defense system, leaving no blind spots; Venus, conduct an in-depth investigation of all information regarding the 'Dark Star'."

Everyone responded in unison. Sun Wukong gazed one last time at the starry sky outside the hall, his eyes burning with fighting spirit: "I want to see just how capable these cowardly fellows really are!"

Even though it was late at night, the Qitian Palace was still brightly lit.

The four core members of the Heavenly Court were busy preparing for the impending storm.

But in the shadows, unseen by them, countless eyes were watching the Heavenly Court's every move...

……

……

In the sandbox laboratory where the Soul Devouring Technique was being deciphered, Nezha's fingertips gently caressed the surface of a jade bottle, black energy moving within it as if alive. Three consecutive days of sleepless research had left dark circles under his eyes, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

“So that’s how it is…” he murmured to himself, his finger suddenly tracing a complex path on the sand table. The star model responded, outlining a flow of spiritual energy in the sky above the sand table that was completely opposite to the black energy.

The spiritual liquid in the alchemy furnace suddenly boiled, emitting a piercing hiss. Nezha calmly added the final ingredient—a trace amount of gold and stone powder scraped from Sun Wukong's golden cudgel. The furnace shone brightly, and a pool of emerald-green liquid gradually took shape.

"General! The energy has surged again!" the heavenly soldier guarding the door cried out in alarm.

Without turning his head, Nezha tossed out the newly refined spiritual liquid. The emerald green liquid traced a graceful arc in the air before landing precisely in the center of the violently trembling sand table. In an instant, the raging black energy contracted rapidly as if encountering its natural enemy, ultimately dissipating into a wisp of green smoke.

"Success!" Nezha slammed his hand on the table, the stars on the sand table trembling slightly with his excitement. He carefully poured the remaining spiritual liquid into a specially made jade bottle, his fingertips trembling slightly with excitement. "Quickly report to the Great Sage, I have found a way to counter the 'Taotie Devouring Spirit Technique'!"

……

……

At the point where the iron wall defended the South Heavenly Gate, Yang Jian's third eye shone brightly with golden light. The cloud patterns on his silver armor swirled in the sunlight as his fingers carefully probed along the edge of the barrier, suddenly stopping at a certain spot.

“Here.” His voice was cold and stern as he focused a point of silver light on his fingertip and pressed it onto the seemingly intact barrier. Immediately, abnormal ripples appeared on the surface of the barrier, revealing a hole the size of a pinhead.

The heavenly soldier beside him gasped: "They even managed to spot such a tiny flaw..."

“The man in black robes infiltrated by taking advantage of this oversight.” Yang Jian took out a silver talisman from his robes and gently affixed it to the breach. The talisman transformed into a stream of light and merged into the barrier, making the weak point impregnable. “Pass down the order: redeploy all barrier nodes according to the newly formulated defense plan, focusing on protecting the points where spiritual energy converges.”

Just as he was preparing to head to the next checkpoint, a golden light streaked across the sky. The celestial soldier, kneeling on one knee, announced: "True Lord! Suspicious individuals have been discovered in the Lingxiao Palace!"

A cold glint flashed in Yang Jian's eyes, and his figure transformed into a silver streak and vanished from the spot. When he arrived, he saw a man in black robes knock down the guarding heavenly soldier and was about to escape.

"Where do you think you're going!" Yang Jian's silver spear moved like a dragon emerging from the sea, its tip aimed precisely at the black-robed man's back. The man hastily turned to block, and in the clash, a corner of his mask was torn off by the force of the wind—revealing him to be a low-ranking celestial official from the Hall of Medicine!
Seeing his identity exposed, the man in black suddenly bit his tongue and spat out a mouthful of black blood. Yang Jian was prepared, and the Demon-Binding Rope shot out like a silver snake, not only binding the man's hands and feet but also firmly sealing off the black blood magic that was about to erupt.

"Trying to commit suicide? Not so easy." Yang Jian sneered, his third eye shooting out a golden light that completely imprisoned the man in black. "Take him to the Qitian Palace and hand him over to the Great Sage for personal interrogation!"

……

……

In the deepest, forbidden section of the Ancient Books and Secrets Pavilion, Venus's white beard was covered in dust. He held a tattered bamboo scroll in his hands, his fingertips carefully moving across the yellowed bamboo strips.

"It really is here..." the old man suddenly exclaimed in a low voice, his eyes gleaming beneath his long eyebrows. The text recorded on the bamboo slip was already blurred, but the symbol was clearly discernible—a six-pointed star pattern exactly like the one on the black-robed man's weapon.

He hurriedly pulled out another jade slip and compared the two side by side. The record of the celestial anomaly from thirty-six years ago perfectly coincided with the timeline of the black-robed man's appearance, and at the end of that record, it was clearly written: "Dark stars appear, chaos reigns in the Three Realms."

“No wonder those ferocious beasts suddenly went berserk back then…” Taibai Jinxing’s fingers trembled slightly as he hurriedly took out a communication jade talisman. “Great Sage! This old minister has found a crucial clue! The ‘Dark Star’ organization is indeed related to the ancient ferocious beasts; they may have mastered some kind of secret method to control them!”

Just as he was about to leave, he caught a glimpse of a line of small characters on the back of the bamboo slip. When he read it, the color drained from his aged face: "The Chaos Pearl... So their target was..."

……

……

The truth came to light in the dungeon of the Qitian Palace: the man in black robes was bound to a black iron chair by seventy-two restrictions. Sun Wukong sat opposite him, his golden cudgel casually resting on his lap, his fiery eyes gleaming with a captivating golden light.

“You know I have plenty of ways to make you talk,” Sun Wukong said casually, tapping his fingers lightly on his staff. “But considering how hard you’ve worked to cultivate, it’s better to just confess and avoid physical punishment.”

The man in black robes sneered, "The Great Sage Equaling Heaven is nothing more than this. Do with him as you please."

Sun Wukong suddenly grinned, a smile that sent a chill down the spine of the man in black. "Interesting." He turned to the guard and said, "Go and fetch the new spiritual liquid Nezha concocted. I've heard it allows one to experience the sensation of spiritual energy being slowly devoured..."

When the emerald green jade bottle was placed before him, the black-robed man's pupils visibly contracted. Sun Wukong slowly uncorked the bottle, releasing a delicate fragrance that caused the black-robed man to struggle violently as if facing a formidable enemy.

"So you recognize this?" A glint flashed in Sun Wukong's eyes. "The nemesis of the Gluttonous Devouring Spirit Technique, how does it taste?"

The man in black robes finally broke down: "I'll tell you! Lord Dark Star plans to seize the Chaos Pearl during the next celestial anomaly! That pearl can control all the ancient ferocious beasts!"

Just then, Venus's communication jade talisman and Nezha's report of victory arrived simultaneously. After listening to all the reports, Sun Wukong's expression became more solemn than ever before.

"Pass down the order to convene an emergency meeting immediately."

(End of this chapter)