Under One Person: I Opened the Age of Mythology

Chapter 609

The enormous mountain and river disc floats in the air, and the chaotic star patterns outline the perfect projection of light and shadow—the river course, the nodes of the earth veins, and the changes in hydrology over the past century are all clearly visible.

Mo Yan stood on the command platform, looking down at the roaring mechanical beasts of the Gongzao Mansion below. They were slowly peeling away the last section of hard rock blocking the river, following the instructions on the plate.

His eyes were sharp, filled with an almost obsessive certainty. The warnings and pitfalls left by the Great Sage were still vivid in his mind; the Mountain and River Plate was their mortal reliance on "winning half a move against Heaven."

"Open the sluice gates! Divert the water!"

Mo Yan's voice resounded throughout the construction site through the amplified conch shell.

The massive sluice gate rose amidst the roar of the winches, and the river water accumulated upstream surged out like a silver dragon, roaring down the newly opened riverbed.

The craftsmen and cultivators of the Construction Bureau erupted in a long-suppressed cheer, and Mo Yan's tightly wound lips finally revealed a relieved smile. Human determination can conquer nature—this is no empty boast!

However, before the cheers had even subsided, a sudden change occurred!

At the crucial juncture where the canal was about to be completed, a deep, resonant roar, like an ancient sigh, echoed from the depths of the earth!

Immediately afterwards, the entire riverbed trembled violently. It was not a collapse caused by external forces, but rather the earth itself awakening!
The solid riverbed bottom slowly bulged and twisted like dough!
A massive outline, composed of pure rock and the earth's spiritual energy, struggled and seemed bewildered as it "sat" up amidst the billowing dust and mist.

It has no clear facial features, only two huge "eyes" that have gathered the essence of the earth's veins for thousands of years and are like lava lakes, blankly "gazing" at the roaring mechanical beasts, the rushing river, and the mortals who are as insignificant as ants to it.

The river, blocked by the suddenly raised terrain, angrily surged back, instantly breaching several newly built embankments!
Smoke and water vapor filled the air, turning the construction site into a chaotic muddy mess.

"Mountain...Mountain spirit! It's the slumbering spirit of the earth's veins!" The accompanying old mountain god was terrified, his fingers trembling as he leaned on his dragon-patterned staff. His sharp voice pointed at the bewildered giant shadow, "It's you! It's the tremors from your opening of the mountain and the forced diversion of the water that disturbed the ancient slumber deep within the earth's veins! Forgive me! Forgive me greatly!"

He beat his chest and stamped his feet, heartbroken and indignant.

Mo Yan's face was ashen as he stared intently at the perfect light and shadow on the Mountain and River Disc, which still displayed "everything is normal," his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

A master craftsman from the Construction Bureau rushed up to Mo Yan, his hair and beard bristling, and roared at the enormous mountain spirit that was looking around in bewilderment: "Lord of the Bureau! It is true that this is a spirit creature born of nature, but it has blocked my canal, destroyed my dikes, and cut off the lifeline of millions of people! The calculations of the Mountain and River Compass are correct. The fault lies in its disturbance of the slumber. How can the Construction Bureau be blamed?!"

Human voices and divine accusations clashed fiercely on the muddy construction site.

"Shut up!"

A steady voice pierced through the clamor. Chen Yu appeared in the center of the chaos, the Chaos Source Seed on his chest radiating a warm and profound halo.

He did not look at the two sides arguing, but closed his eyes and concentrated his mind, immersing himself in the "source eye" and "Tao sense" brought by the seed.

In an instant, the pulse of the earth beneath his feet, the mountain spirit's bewildered yet immense fluctuations of consciousness, the angry roar of the obstructed river, and even the terrified heartbeats of countless craftsmen... all surged into his senses like a complex and intricate musical composition.

He "saw" the cold precision of the light and shadow deduce by the Mountain and River Disc, and he also "saw" beyond that light and shadow the pure, childlike curiosity and confusion of the mountain spirit when it awoke, as well as the instinctive earth vein distortion power after being disturbed—it was not malicious, but more like the unconscious kicking and hitting of an infant after being woken up.

“The Mountain and River Compass… cannot deduce spiritual thoughts.” Chen Yu opened his eyes, his voice carrying a hint of weary realization. “It can calculate the trends of mountains and rivers and the flow of earth energy, but it cannot calculate the awakening and confusion of a ‘heart’.”

"Then let it go back to sleep! Or... move it!"

The chief craftsman of the workshop said urgently.

"Is the way to coexist simply about accommodating or expelling?"

A calm voice rang out above everyone's heads.

Sun Wukong's figure had somehow appeared on the shoulder of the bewildered mountain spirit, his dark gold Taoist robe remaining motionless amidst the chaotic earth energy and gale.

He lightly touched the mountain spirit's enormous head, which was made of hard rock, with his fingertip.

The mountain spirit seemed to be infused with some kind of spirituality. Its giant, lava-like eyes blinked, its confusion lessening slightly. It slowly lowered its head, and a hand made entirely of jagged rocks reached out, carefully "catching" a precision surveying instrument that Mo Yan had dropped into the river in shock.

The movement carried a kind of newborn clumsiness and curiosity.

“Symbiosis is not about yielding the way, but about finding a path and walking side by side.” Sun Wukong’s voice clearly reached everyone’s ears, and seemed to be directly imprinted on the newly born consciousness of the mountain spirit. “This river, how about it, flows around your knees?”

The mountain spirit remained silent, only slowly turning its enormous head to gaze at a beautiful, lush mountain peak beside it, a hint of "satisfaction" seemingly emanating from its rocky face.

Its massive body slowly sank down, re-integrating into the earth's veins, leaving only a few gentle, flat ridges on the surface, like natural embankments.

Sun Wukong turned his gaze to the pale-faced Mo Yan, flicked his finger, and a wisp of golden light containing the calming and refreshing aura of star-patterned rice entered Mo Yan's brow: "Next time you deduce, take the 'spiritual' breathing into account as well."

Mo Yan felt a jolt, not from the infusion of power, but from a realization that all things in the universe possess a spiritual rhythm, which washed over his mind, which had been filled with the idea that "man can conquer nature," like a clear spring.

The river found a new path, meandering gently along the mountain spirit's "knee," bypassing the beautiful peak it favored.

The enormous mountain spirit, with only half of its rocky head and a huge eye showing above the "embankment," curiously "watched" the first mortal cargo ship that cautiously sailed by.

Above the starry sky, a dim spot corresponding to this area strangely rippled with a curious, light green wave, like a new bud breaking through the soil, and quietly merged into the huge "map of evil thoughts".

……

……

The newly appointed King Qin Guang sat upright in the Senluo Hall, his face ashen.

Before him, the spirit of an old woman knelt on the ground, her soul rippled with unstable waves, emanating an aura of anxiety and unease.

The obsession reflected in the mirror before her was crystal clear: in a simple farmhouse, under the oil lamp, she lovingly watched a young boy practicing calligraphy at a broken wooden table, murmuring, "My dear grandson, study hard, and one day you'll become the top scholar, bringing your grandmother some glory..."

The scene was heartwarming, but it became a shackle on her soul.

"My lord! In my previous life, I was reborn as a wealthy young man, living a life of luxury, yet he only loved martial arts and hated books! What... what should I do?" The old woman's voice was filled with despair. "I beg you, my lord, have mercy! Let me... see my grandson one more time, just one more time! To see if he has grown up safely..."

Her obsession remained, like an invisible chain, binding her soul to the brink of collapse.

King Qin Guang flipped through the cold iron scroll, his brow furrowed, his voice flat and emotionless: "Lady Li, your grandson's name in this life is Zhou Zijian, sixteen years old, physically strong, and has already been selected for the elite border army. His future is bright. Your wish to 'see your grandson pass the imperial examination' has been recorded in the Mirror of Mortal Life, and your reincarnation will follow the law. It is the nature of wealthy children to prefer martial arts to literature; this is their inherent nature and interest. How can it be considered unfulfilled? If this precedent is set, the underworld will never have peace! Step aside!"

With a wave of his hand, the ghost messenger was about to step forward.

"My lord! I beg you!"

The old woman's soul fluctuated even more violently. In the corner of the hall, a gaunt middle-aged ghost judge's eyes flashed with a hint of pity.

He has witnessed too many tragedies where people's obsessions led to their souls being scattered.

As night fell, during the handover of duties among the judges, a thought struck him, and a wisp of light from his fingertip silently disappeared into the Mirror of Mortal World beside the Well of Reincarnation.

With a flash of light on the mirror, an extremely faint, almost transparent wisp of soul was quietly sent out of the Netherworld Barrier by him, using his meager divine authority as a guide.

In the mortal realm, at the border military camp.

Young Zhou Zijian had just finished a grueling training session; his uniform was soaked with sweat, but his face still bore the determination and vigor of a soldier.

He was chatting and laughing with his comrades, completely unaware that a ghostly figure belonging to his grandmother, visible only to those with the Eye of the Underworld, was greedily "gazing" at him across the vast distance, tears welling in her eyes, silently murmuring, "Stronger...that's good...as long as you're safe..."

The chains of obsession seemed to loosen for a moment.

However, this wisp of soul, once separated from the body, ultimately triggered the strict barrier of Yin laws!
The piercing siren instantly resounded throughout the underworld!

The heavenly soldiers' chains pierced through the air and bound the ghost judge tightly!
"To allow the spirits of the dead to roam the mortal realm is a violation of the laws of Heaven! What is the punishment?" The new King Qin Guang's voice was stern, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, finally finding a scapegoat to divert attention.

Li Wangshi's soul was even more precarious under the oppressive force of the chains.

"Bring it up."

Yang Jian's icy voice rang out directly in the Senluo Hall, and the silvery light of the Heart Scales enveloped the case as if it were a tangible object.

A giant phantom of a heart scale appeared.

Left panel: The scene depicts Li Wangshi's obsession with "seeing her grandson pass the imperial examination," her satisfaction with her grandson's safety when she secretly travels to the mortal world, and the resulting instability of her soul.

Right side: Zhou Zijian's figure sweating profusely and practicing martial arts in the military camp, with a determined look in his eyes, that "sincere will" that comes from the heart; the trace of reluctance and overstepping in the eyes of the Ghost Judge.

The scale beam is steadily balanced, and silver light flows.

"The attachment to love stems from the closest of kin; the sincerity of will arises from the heart. Neither is evil; the fault lies in the flaws of the laws of the underworld, which failed to properly guide this 'debt of tenderness.'" Yang Jian's judgment echoed, "Ghost Judge Lu Ziqing has arbitrarily violated the laws of the underworld. His sentiments are pitiable, but his actions deserve punishment! He is ordered to clean the well of reincarnation of clogs for a hundred years as a warning to others!"

His gaze turned to the place where the fragrance of cinnabar permeated: "Mysterious Furnace Boy, refine the 'Release-of-Mind Pill' to dissolve his obsessions and help him be reborn in the Pure Land."

The boy from the Mysterious Furnace nodded solemnly, his small face serious.

He sat cross-legged beside the Well of Reincarnation, igniting a wisp of Kunlun Dan Fire, merging it with a warm yellow halo settled in the Mirror of Mortal World, and then extracting the faint light of relief from the old woman's soul after seeing her grandson safe and sound.

The three elements swirled and merged within the illusory image of the alchemy furnace, eventually coalescing into a pill the size of an apricot kernel, radiating a soft, warm yellow glow, shaped like a solidified teardrop.

The elixir gently drifted toward Li Wangshi. The moment the old woman's soul came into contact with the elixir's energy, the image of the farmhouse with its oil lamp and her grandson practicing calligraphy appeared clearly before her eyes for the last time, like smoke and clouds, before gradually fading away and finally turning into a long sigh, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted.

The warm yellow light completely merged into her soul, the unstable ripples subsided, her soul became pure and clear, and her face was filled with unprecedented peace.

She bowed deeply towards Yang Jian and Xuanlu Tongzi, then turned and plunged into the chaotic flow of energy in the Reincarnation Well, without any further hesitation.

Just as she vanished, a wisp of warm yellow light, thinner than a strand of hair yet incredibly warm and resilient, seemed to be drawn in and gently merged into the floating "worldly elixir core" in the well.

The core trembled slightly, and within the chaotic energy it emitted, a subtle, indescribable tenderness—the deepest longing and the gentle resilience that comes after release—was quietly added.

The mist swirling around the wellhead seemed to have lost some of its eerie chill and gained more of a warm, inclusive feeling.

……

……

Qingyuan, a young and talented Daoist cultivator, huddled in the darkest corner of an abandoned mine tunnel, his whole body trembling violently.

His face was as pale as gold paper, and his Taoist robe was soaked with cold sweat. Even more terrifying, faint golden Buddhist scripture characters appeared around him, like red-hot irons, deeply burning into his meridians and dantian!

Each flash of the golden runes was accompanied by his painful spasms and the tearing sensation of his Dao foundation being eroded.

In order to quickly enhance his divine sense and comprehend the deeper principles of the Myriad Laws Stele, he secretly copied the secret array of the Buddhist Zen Mind Trial and forcibly cultivated it. As a result, the power of Taoism and Buddhism clashed violently, backfiring on him.

Shame gnaws at the heart like poisonous insects. Seeking help from Buddhism? That would be tantamount to announcing one's defeat and "betrayal" to everyone!
He would rather have his foundation destroyed and his soul scattered deep within this unknown mine!
The intense energy conflict stirred up the dormant purple fire essence deep within the mountain.

That eternally pulsating purple flame of the Douluo Continent suddenly surged, and the violent heat and chaotic Daoist ripples instantly swept across the entire abandoned mine tunnel!
The already precarious mine tunnel structure groaned under the strain, with loose rocks falling in a flurry.

A raging wave of purple heat licked the rock wall, engulfing Qingyuan's figure.

Just as his consciousness was about to be completely engulfed by the excruciating pain and burning heat, a blue figure broke through the surging purple heat waves and appeared in front of him.

Xuanlu Tongzi's face was solemn, and his body was shrouded in a thin layer of Doushuai purple fire. The raging purple fire of the mineral vein actually retreated from him.

"Water and fire complement each other, that is called symbiosis." The voice of the Mysterious Furnace Boy carried a calmness beyond his years, piercing through Qingyuan's painful screams. "Steel cannot last long, softness cannot be maintained. Within your body, the foundation of the Dao is fire, and Buddhist thoughts are like external water. If you forcefully suppress the water, the fire will burn you; if you forcefully chase away the fire, the water will freeze. It is not that water and fire are incompatible, but that you lack the capacity to 'harmonize the cauldron,' you lack the magnanimity to accept the essence of other methods into your own Dao!"

With a flick of his little hand, a pill the size of a longan, half black and half white, slowly rotating like a tai chi symbol appeared in his palm, radiating a strange harmonizing power.

"The Yin-Yang Harmony Elixir helps you to straighten out your origin. Buddha is not a flood or a ferocious beast, nor is Taoism the only true path. All things return to one, returning to that 'sincere' origin."

The pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth, and a gentle yet overwhelming harmonizing power surged into Qingyuan's limbs and bones.

The violently conflicting Taoist and Buddhist forces within his body were as if being guided by an invisible hand. Although they did not immediately merge, they no longer fought and tore at each other. Instead, like the yin and yang fish in the Tai Chi diagram, they began to rotate slowly and laboriously.

The collapse of the foundation was forcibly halted, and the excruciating pain from the burning Buddhist power receded like a tide.

Qingyuan weakly opened his eyes and saw Xuanlu Tongzi looking up at the top of the mine.

There, on the mottled rock walls of the abandoned mine tunnel, the image of the Myriad Laws Stele next to the Ascension Platform was projected with uncanny clarity!
At this moment, among the sixteen large characters on the monument that contain the highest truths of Buddhism and Taoism, the four characters "different paths lead to the same destination" are radiating an unprecedentedly soft light, like a river of stars flowing through the thick rock layers and gently falling on it.

An indescribable warmth and enlightenment instantly filled Qingyuan's mind.

The barriers between Taoism and Buddhism seemed to melt away in the light, leaving only the pure pursuit and yearning for the exploration of "Tao" itself.

His Dao heart suddenly opened up, and his damaged divine consciousness not only did not weaken, but in this enlightenment of destruction and rebirth, it was like a fledgling eagle breaking free from its restraints, soaring up and becoming even more refined and expansive than before he was injured!
(End of this chapter)