Under One Person: I Opened the Age of Mythology

Chapter 600

As Sun Wukong spoke, the other two seeds also transformed into streams of light and flew towards two mortal cultivators in the distance who had made contributions to the construction of the Pure Land Valley and were known for their calm and composed nature.

As the seed entered their bodies, the two were instantly invigorated, their eyes shining with an unprecedented light of enlightenment.

The bestowal of this "Seed of Chaotic Origin Power" represents a revolution in the cultivation civilization.

It is no longer a blessing from gods and Buddhas to mortals, but a key that unlocks the door for mortals to understand nature more deeply and apply the rules of heaven and earth, laying a brand new foundation for mortal civilization.

Outside the eerie City of the Dead in the Netherworld, a completely different area has now been established – the "Purification Division".

A solemn yet somewhat peculiar hall stands here, named "Mingjingtai".

The high-hanging plaque was not a ghostly object, but a silver talisman projected from Mingfa Academy, radiating righteous energy. It was the manifestation of Yang Jian's "Heart Scale" divine essence.

A colossal figure, standing like a mountain in the center of the Mingjing Terrace, was none other than the Bear King, repenting and being tried.

The light and shadow before him no longer reflected the cold and ferocious judge of the underworld.

On the left is a law monk from Mingfa Academy under Yang Jian's rule, with a solemn expression, holding a scroll of documents branded with bloodstains. It is the "Black Wind Ridge Blood Debt Record" written by Xiong Pi himself, which details each of his crimes and the suffering caused.

On the right is a ghost judge dressed in the robes of an underworld official, but who appears less sinister and more pragmatic.

"Bear, the blood debts you have committed are too numerous to count. According to the laws of the underworld, you shall suffer the torment of mountains of knives and seas of fire, and be forever condemned to the deepest hell, until your soul is scattered and you are never to be reborn!"

The law monks of Mingfa Academy, their voices booming like bells, proclaimed the starting point for sentencing based on the scales of conscience.

The bear's massive body trembled again, but it suppressed its fear and guilt, and said in a hoarse voice, "The bear... even death a thousand times cannot atone for its sins! I beg to be punished! I only beg... I only beg to do my best to atone for even a little bit!"

The ghost judge continued, “Indeed, since you have received the mercy of the scales of the heart, it is clear that you have a sincere desire to do good and repent. The underworld has its own benevolent policies, allowing those who repent to redeem their sentences through ‘karmic labor,’ and to reduce their sins by measuring their good deeds.”

As light and shadow shifted, several unique scenes in the Netherworld were revealed: a swamp of filthy, boiling vengeful souls; an ancient well of reincarnation riddled with cracks and constantly seeping resentment; and a path of Netherworld guidance light whose dim light could hardly penetrate the thick, vengeful clouds.

"These three places are all chronic ailments of the cycle of the Three Realms, urgently needing the power of purity to dredge and purify them, stabilizing the cycle of reincarnation." The Ghost Judge pointed to the Swamp of Wicked Souls, "You possess ten thousand years of cultivation and a powerful demonic body. You can enter the Swamp of Wicked Souls, subdue the restless remnant souls, and protect the operation of the purification array." He then pointed to the Well of Reincarnation and the Path of Light, "Or you can use your divine power to repair the cracks in the Well of Reincarnation, clear the accumulated karmic clouds from the Path of Light, and guide lost good souls. All good deeds performed will be recorded on the scales of your heart, quantifying and offsetting your sins. Every soul purified, every crack repaired, every good deed guided will reduce your evil karma by one point and increase the good karma of heaven and earth by one thread!"

This "karmic labor" mechanism completely breaks the old pattern of the underworld's punishments that only punish without educating and isolate the three realms.

It uses Yang Jian's "heart scale" as a witness to quantify sins into specific "karmic debts," which are then gradually repaid through specific good deeds, thus achieving a dynamic balance.

If one accumulates enough good deeds, their sentence can be reduced or waived, and they may even have the opportunity to accumulate merit and re-enter the cycle of reincarnation.

This not only gave genuinely repentant people like bears a way out and hope, but also, with the help of these "atoners," solved the deep-seated problems of the underworld, turning waste into treasure, and greatly enhanced the stability and efficiency of the reincarnation order.

A startling light flashed in the bear's eyes, a yearning for the path of redemption: "The bear obeys! I am willing to die a hundred times for the purification of evil souls, the repair of the underworld, and the guidance of the virtuous!" Its massive body knelt down heavily, kicking up a cloud of underworld dust, yet it was filled with an unprecedented determination to wash away its sins.

In the mortal realm, in the Southern Continent, the foremost of the Five Sacred Mountains.

At the summit of a majestic and precipitous mountain, a grand and ancient white jade platform stands out from nowhere, radiating a warm yet dignified light. Surrounding the platform are a hundred-foot-long white jade staircase, each step engraved with totem reliefs depicting mountains, rivers, and all living beings, exuding a sense of vast antiquity.

At the center of the stone platform stands a massive gate of light formed from pure incense offerings and prayers.

The portal exuded an aura of holiness, majesty, and insight, its fluctuations subtly connecting with the divine scales on Yang Jian's forehead high in the heavens—this was the "Ascending Platform"!
Beneath the gate of light, cultivators and mortals from all continents and seas gathered.

They looked up at the ladder to heaven, their faces a mixture of longing, awe, and eagerness.

The mountain god and local earth god in charge of this area proclaimed to the crowd in a deep, resonant voice, a message clearly delivered to everyone's ears by divine magic:

"Yang Jian Zhenjun, who governs the laws of the Three Realms and follows the Way of Heaven, has abolished the outdated rule of 'eternal separation between immortals and mortals'! This 'Ladder to Immortality' is a bridge connecting the mortal world and the Heavenly Court! Anyone who wishes to ascend to immortality is not required to be of any background or cultivation level, but there are only three ironclad rules:"

"First, one must have a clear mind! Climbing the Heavenly Ladder is not for the physical body to ascend, but for the test of one's will! Only those who have good intentions, a firm Daoist heart, and are free from the entanglements of great evil and wickedness can draw upon the radiance of the Heavenly Ladder!"

"Both of these are matters of sincerity! This 'sincerity' is not the power of fanatical plunder, but rather awe and unwavering devotion to the laws of heaven and earth, to all living beings and things, and to the desire to protect! What does your heart desire? What blessings can your power bring to the common people? With this sincere heart, the ladder to heaven will open itself!"

"Thirdly, the incense offerings bear witness! All the good deeds and merits you have accumulated in the mortal realm have been transformed into the incense offerings and vows of all beings, which are the resources for your ascension to heaven! The purer and more vast the incense offerings and vows are, the more recognized you will be by the three realms, and the stronger and more stable the light of the heavenly ladder will be! Those who harbor侥幸 (a sense of luck), false goodness, or theft will find their incense offerings thin and dim, and they will find it difficult to take even a single step on the heavenly ladder!"

He pointed to the gate of light: "With all three conditions met, and your mind and will focused, ascend the Heavenly Ladder! If you can cross this gate, you will be considered to have just entered the ranks of immortals. You can then follow the guidance of the Heavenly Court to enter the 'Heavenly Crafts Department' to learn the laws of creation, the 'Shennong Hall' to learn the way of self-cultivation, or follow your own path to the 'Guardian of the Way' under the jurisdiction of True Lord Yang Jian to gain experience, accumulate merit and virtue! The path to immortality will be bright from this point on! However, this path is not easy. There will be constant inner demons and external tribulations. Everything is governed by laws!"

This is Yang Jian's "Heavenly Ladder Restart Plan," which he restarted based on the divine power of incense offerings. It paved a clear and regulated path to heaven for talented and virtuous people in the mortal realm. The efforts, virtues, and contributions of mortals to the Three Realms were all transformed into real capital for ascending to immortality, completely breaking the monopoly of established clans and continuously injecting fresh blood into the Heavenly Court.

As soon as he finished speaking, an old Taoist priest with white hair and beard, surrounded by a pure aura, stepped out from the crowd.

Throughout his life, he practiced medicine and helped countless people, accumulating profound merit and good deeds.

He closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and communicated with the benevolent thoughts in the unseen realm. In an instant, a pure white and bright incense-like power of prayer rose from the top of his head, so dense that it almost materialized.

Sensing the pure and benevolent incense, the light gate at the center of the Ascension Platform suddenly shone brightly, and the sacred guiding power enveloped him as if it were a tangible substance.

The old Taoist priest smiled slightly, his expression calm and firm. He took a step and firmly stepped onto the first step of the Ascension Ladder!
He did not use any magic to fly; he relied solely on his Dao heart and the power of incense and vows drawn by his boundless good deeds. As if weightless, he walked up the steps one by one. His figure gradually rose in the soft light and finally disappeared steadily into the gate of immortality under the watchful eyes of thousands!

On the ground, thunderous cheers and an even more fervent longing erupted!

The path to heaven is beginning to show its grandeur!

Inside and outside Jingye Valley, all sorts of changes were taking place, like a raging fire.

Looking down upon Beiju Luzhou, one can see the intertwined light of water and fire spreading rapidly outward from the core of Jingye Valley, like a wildfire, along the newly formed earth veins and spiritual caves.

The crimson geothermal energy and the azure essence of the Weak Water nourish and circulate with each other, turning scorched earth green and barren hills lush and verdant wherever they pass. Pieces of fertile land full of hope are activated, carrying the infinite expectations of all beings in the Three Realms for the future.

Deep within the Heavenly Court, Sun Wukong sat upright on the Star Source Throne, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of spacetime barriers, taking in everything.

The tiny, rice-grain-sized chaotic crystal at his temple shimmered with a warm glow, pulsating with the surging life force below. A new era had begun with a thunderous roar. On the path back to the source, the starlight shone eternally, the path was clear, and the echo of every step questioned the sincerity of his heart, proclaiming that a more open, fluid, vibrant, and transformative era of the Three Realms was slowly unfolding its magnificent curtain.

……

……

Deep within the Pure Karma Valley, the warm, gentle halo of light at the core of the chaotic star curtain ripples like water.

That primordial spirit embryo, which gave birth to the new life of the three realms, floated quietly in the vortex of nebulae, and every pulsation drew the light and shadow of billions of stars.

It is no longer a dormant embryo, but a gradually awakening will.

In the Heavenly Court's Hall of Laws, Yang Jian sat beneath the "Scales of the Heart" divine emblem, his silver-white robes fluttering even without wind. The shifting light and shadow within the hall reflected a land encroachment case in the Southern Continent:

A minor sect of cultivators, relying on its meager magical power, forcibly encircled the source of the spiritual spring that irrigated a mortal village, setting up a restriction that caused thousands of acres of fertile land to crack.

With the evidence irrefutable, the silver light of the divine emblem between Yang Jian's brows suddenly shone brightly, transforming into an invisible scale shadow that hovered above the head of the minor sect leader.

"Those who bully the weak and ruin the livelihoods of the people deserve to be punished!" Yang Jian's voice was icy, each word like a decree. "The spiritual spring's restrictions will be confiscated, the sect leader's cultivation will be sealed for ten years, and he will be forced to perform hard labor in the damaged villages to atone for his sins, while the Heavenly River's Weak Water will be used to irrigate thousands of acres of dry land!"

With the verdict delivered, the illusory scales of justice crashed down, revealing the dignified and impartial silver light.

Almost simultaneously, high above, the chaotic spiritual embryo at the core of the star curtain trembled slightly, and a layer of pure silver light flowed across its surface, reflecting the light of Yang Jian's divine emblem, as if silently applauding this ironclad judgment.

In Beiju Luzhou, the newly built "Tiandi Academy" sits on a lush, green slope on the outskirts of Jingye Valley.

The courtyard walls are made of warm, reddish-brown jade sourced locally. There are no profound books in the courtyard, only a huge sand table simulating the mountains, rivers, and the direction of the earth's veins.

A group of young children gathered around a sand table, listening to an old teacher who had been enlightened by the mountain god.

“Look at this stream in the sand,” the old instructor said, pointing his finger and causing a miniature stream on the sand table to change its course at his will. “If the upstream is dammed, the downstream will surely dry up. This is not divine punishment, but the water’s course, its waxing and waning, is predetermined.”

He guided the children to build sand dunes, change the "wind direction," and watch how the "clouds" condensed and rained over the sand table.

A little girl with pigtails pointed to a "ridge" on the sand table that had been exposed due to "over-cultivation":
"Sir! Plant trees here! The roots will hold the soil, and the rainwater won't wash the mountain bare!"

Her innocent words revealed the most basic principle of "soil and water conservation".

As the words fell, deep within the starry sky, the surface of the Chaotic Spirit Embryo shimmered with a vibrant green halo, like the surging waves of willows in early spring, carrying a fresh and vigorous sense of life, as if rejoicing at this innocent yet sincere understanding of heaven and earth.

In the depths of the netherworld, at the Pure and Bright Terrace of the Purification Division.

The bear's enormous body was submerged in the swamp of filthy black energy, where the biting cold and resentment tore at its demonic soul.

He gritted his teeth and pressed his arms firmly against the base of a constantly trembling purification array in the center of the swamp, channeling his immense demonic power into the array's core as a gentle, earthy-yellow stream of light.

"Order it for me...!"

The bear growled, veins bulging on its forehead.

The magic array shone brightly, forcibly repelling and purifying the ferocious remnant souls that were trying to attack the array's base.

Wisps of foul black energy were drawn away by the magic array and annihilated in the array's light, and the swamp's churning visibly decreased.

At that very moment, the suspended Chaotic Spirit Embryo seemed to sense something. A wisp of pure purple energy quietly emerged from the depths of its body, carrying a purifying Daoist charm. Though formless and intangible, it seemed to purify the radiance flowing through the entire starry sky for a moment.

This purple aura is a response to the redemption practiced with pain and perseverance in the depths of the underworld.

Every pulse and every shift of light from the primordial spirit embryo clearly reflects the moral balance and the pulse of order in the Three Realms.

It is no longer just a protective barrier, but has become a "mirror of the heart" hanging over the heads of all living beings.

When celestial officials in the Heavenly Court discussed matters, they spoke with more deliberation; when mortal cultivators performed rituals, they showed more reverence for Heaven and Earth; and even the underworld ghost messengers, who enforced the law, dared not slacken their efforts.

All beings in the Three Realms, whether immortals, mortals, gods, or ghosts, are unconsciously guided by a standard called "sincerity" in their words and deeds.

The spiritual embryo releases "chaotic source energy ripples," passively strengthening the weak points of the Three Realms:

Automatically repairs tiny cracks in the starry sky;

Nourishing barren land accelerates ecological recovery;
Gently suppress the infiltration of evil energy from outside the region.

At the edge of the starry sky, a tiny, hair-thin spatial crack, left behind by the previous impact of the extraterrestrial evil energy, is quietly healing.

There were no earth-shattering energy fluctuations, only a wisp of warm, chaotic energy flowing by like water, and the cracks were gently smoothed out as if by an invisible hand, disappearing without a trace.

This is the "source energy ripple" unconsciously emitted by the spiritual embryo, as natural as breathing, maintaining the flawless perfection of the star curtain.

On the western edge of Jambudvipa lies a vast desert called "Red Sand Plain".

This place was once an ancient battlefield, where the earth's veins were shattered, life was cut off, and fierce winds whipped up crimson sand, blotting out the sky.

At this moment, on the edge of the desert, several newly built "earth vein resonance devices" are emitting a low hum.

The instrument is shaped like a combination of an armillary sphere and a compass, with the "seed of chaotic source power" bestowed by Sun Wukong embedded in its core. It is connected to red copper pipes and deeply embedded in the parched earth.

(End of this chapter)