Chapter 239: The Taiyi and Donghuang are One Body; The Witch Clan's Essence and Blood Cast the True Body [5k after revision]

Around the pavilion.

A thousand stalks of elegant bamboo, with spiritual springs gushing forth from time to time, splashing into dots of jade beads, as if in the color of drizzling rain.

"I was still wondering how Ao Guang and the others had offended you, Second Brother! I never imagined it was just a disaster of no fault of their own!"

Nezha looked dazed, and could not help but laugh.

Yet, facing this little brother of his, Yang Jian had nothing to hide, so he naturally told Nezha everything and explained the situation.

"In my opinion, Yang Chan being this way cannot be counted as a good thing, but it also cannot be counted as a bad thing."

Nezha poured a cup of Immortal Brew for Yang Jian, saying with a serious face.

"Oh? How so?"

Yang Jian knew that Nezha had previously crossed paths with Fang Longye, and perhaps had a different perception.

He could not help but cast a gaze filled with inquiry toward Nezha.

Nezha took a sip of the Immortal Brew with his small mouth and spoke slowly of his own views: "Although that boy surnamed Fang inherits the characteristics of the Dragon Clan and behaves quite greedily for beauty and lust, and is even cold and thin by nature to the extreme."

"But I must say, in truth, his heart toward the Great Dao has a kind of alternative purity."

"As long as he does not die, his future will inevitably be vast."

"Forming a Dao companion bond with him, for Yang Chan, cannot be counted as a bad thing."

After all, the Love Tribulation had already arisen; as Yang Chan's second brother, Yang Jian's best course of action was not violent resistance, but rather following the trend.

One must know that since ancient times, the Love Tribulation has been the most peculiar kind of Calamity for cultivators.

In his past life, Nezha was a boy under the seat of Wa Huang, and he knew many secrets unknown to others. But regarding the Love Tribulation, he was still only half-informed.

He only knew that not everyone would encounter a Love Tribulation.

The generation of a Love Tribulation appeared completely random, having nothing to do with the cultivator's gender, age, depth of cultivation, or whether their state of mind was hindered.

Furthermore, he had heard his own Lady say that even for her, who had not yet become a Saint, helping others pass through a Love Tribulation was extremely difficult.

Because it is fine if the Love Tribulation does not form, but once it does, one must rely on oneself to pass it. If others intervene casually, it is highly likely to make things even worse.

Since that is the case, it is better to let nature take its course!

"Second Brother, you are just being anxious because you care. What needs to be done right now is to watch the changes quietly, let Yang Chan pass through the Love Tribulation, and hopefully attain the Great Luo."

"At that time, the Love Tribulation will naturally depart. Once she wakes up, we shall see how she chooses."

"At worst, they can just separate! For us with endless lifespans, what does this even count as?"

Regarding Yang Jian's concerns, Nezha did not take them to heart. Of course, the reason Yang Jian was so resentful, besides his cherishing of his sister, also contained a layer of shame and anger.

In Nezha's view, his second brother was simply bound by some worldly concepts of mortals, and placed too much importance on some unnecessary reputation.

Yang Jian gave a cold snort and shook his head, saying: "Virtuous Brother, what you say, I do not fail to understand."

"For the sake of Third Sister's future, I can endure that rotten loach surnamed Fang being greedy for beauty and lust. As long as Third Sister is his legitimate wife, I can turn a blind eye to his debauchery."

"What truly makes my resentment hard to dispel is the ruthlessness and selfishness hidden beneath his romantic and debauched exterior."

"I do not believe you cannot see that for a ruthless and selfish person like him, there is simply no bottom line to speak of."

Nezha nodded and said: "Indeed, for him, if it came to a point of no choice, he would likely not even blink if he had to kill his wife and slaughter his children."

"He pursues and enjoys all things of prosperity according to his own heart, yet he does not truly sink into them, but instead uses them to temper his Dao heart."

Speaking of this, Nezha smiled and said: "It is funny to say, but I actually saw the shadow of Uncle Yuding in him."

"I remember Uncle Yuding once said that all things of prosperity are things that hinder cultivation, so what is the use of them."

"Although Uncle Yuding's philosophy is almost the exact opposite of his—one upholding bitter cultivation, the other indulging in pleasure—they are completely opposite, yet the core is quite similar."

"Heh~ He is not worthy!"

Yang Jian gave a cold laugh, his eyes filled with chill.

Nezha stuck out his tongue, knowing he had spoken out of turn and touched Yang Jian's reverse scale.

As brothers who had associated for so many years, Nezha knew that this second brother of his was a person of extreme emotion and nature, and there were not many things he cared about in his heart, no more than three.

The first was family, the second was friends, and the final place in his heart was reserved for his master, that Uncle Yuding of his.

As for the sect and the grandmaster Yuanshi? That was only because his Uncle Yuding belonged to the Chan Sect.

If one day, his Uncle Yuding were to have a lapse in judgment and betray the Chan Sect, Nezha believed that this second brother of his would absolutely follow him without the slightest hesitation.

Master is master; to the second brother he recognized, Uncle Yuding was truly both teacher and father in his heart.

He could not tolerate anyone desecrating him in the slightest.

Fortunately, as one of the few good friends and brothers of Second Brother Yang, he did not have to worry about offending him with a momentary slip of the tongue.

"Good Second Brother, do not be angry." Nezha made a gesture of begging for mercy and said: "Count it as my slip of the tongue, just making a blind comparison."

"However, I did think of another person whose image and past fit that boy surnamed Fang even better—both are people without any bottom line who stop at nothing."

"Oh?" Yang Jian's indignation was not directed at Nezha to begin with, and hearing these words, he immediately restrained the chill in his eyes, looked at Nezha with curiosity.

"Randeng, Second Brother~" Nezha blinked his eyes with a smile and said: "If you really want to compare, that old man Randeng has even less of a bottom line than the boy surnamed Fang."

"For the sake of the Great Dao, that old man Randeng is the one who truly stops at nothing."

"I reckon that if kneeling down to call me Grandfather could allow him to attain the Hunyuan, this old man would absolutely not say a word, and would follow me to kneel and call me Grandfather even if I beat or scolded him!"

Not afraid of Randeng finding him to settle scores after finding out, Nezha's words were filled with mockery toward Randeng.

In fact, Nezha was truly fearless. Being in the dojo of Yang Jian, a Great Divine Ability holder, was enough to isolate Randeng's senses.

As for why he mocked Randeng to such an extreme, the malice was obvious.

That would require asking about that Golden Linglong Pagoda held in the hand of his cheap father.

Yang Jian could not help but laugh out loud upon hearing Nezha's words. This former Vice Sect Leader of their Chan Sect, now the Past Buddha, really did have the face that Nezha described.

Stopping at nothing, with no bottom line at all.

It is even hard to say that the shameless posture of the people in the Brahma sect nowadays was not influenced by Randeng, this Past Buddha.

In fact, as long as the immortals and gods who had existed for a slightly longer time still remembered what the Brahma sect, led by the two Saints Jieyin and Zhun Ti, looked like.

That was truly a sect that led people toward goodness and treated others with absolute sincerity.

Oh—at that time, the Brahma-gate Buddhism was not yet called by this name, but was referred to as the Western Sect.

However, after the Conferring of the Gods Tribulation, from the moment Randeng defected from the Chan Sect to join the Buddhist faith and became a generation of Buddha to preside over Buddhism, the bottom line of those in the Brahma-gate began to slide all the way down.

And by the time that Duobao Daoren ascended to the position of the Present Buddha, the bottom line of those in the Brahma-gate collapsed even further, becoming increasingly unscrupulous.

No matter how one looks at it, Randeng, this Past Buddha, bears an unshirkable responsibility.

……

A short while later.

Yang Jian ended his idle chat with Nezha, raised his eyes with a smile, cast out a ray of spiritual light, and released the restraints on the Four Seas Dragon Kings in the distance.

He let the four old Dragon Kings—Ao Guang, Ao Qin, Ao Run, and Ao Shun—kneel in gratitude with fear and trepidation before they left in a panic.

It was just that with this bit of clowning from Nezha, Yang Jian did not wait for Nezha to offer any more guidance; he had figured it out himself.

Right now, it was indeed as Nezha had said: letting things take their natural course was the best policy.

As for—

Worrying that Fang Longye had no bottom line and would be unscrupulous.

Yang Jian believed that with him there, no matter what this Fang fellow did, he would not touch the bottom line of harming his sister.

As for what happens later, he could only wait until his sister had cast off her Love Tribulation before seeing—having thought this through, he had a good bout of sparring with the itching-for-a-fight Nezha. He also lectured on the Dao and gave some pointers to Nezha, letting Nezha stay at the dojo to contemplate what he had gained.

Only then did he come to his study to examine the gift sent by his Martial Uncle, Nezha's master, Taiyi Zhenren.

Opening the Jade Box that Nezha had brought on his master's behalf, a wisp of bronze-colored ghostly radiance emerged.

Initially, it was only a glimmer, hidden in the void.

But the next instant, it immediately permeated the present world, was drawn in by Yang Jian's own great power, and manifested by blending with his Aura.

Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong.

As time passed, the ghostly radiance permeated more and more Aura, taking shape in the present world; gradually, from incomplete to complete, it took the form of a vessel.

Its shape was like a gong, without a lid, and a beast head was cast upon the handle, its eyes closed, with no mottled colors.

Only on the feet of the gong were mottled green patterns, intertwined and layered, each line appearing natural, containing an unspeakable and mysterious subtlety.

"This is?"

Yang Jian looked at the Bronze Gong before him, his eyes shining brightly, full of interest.

He knew that the Bronze Gong before him did not truly exist, but was transformed from a strand of mysterious information.

And given Taiyi Zhenren's background, this mysterious information, being something he could give as a gift, was absolutely not simple.

"Come."

As Yang Jian's thought arose, his own Aura descended, and with a light pull, the Bronze Gong lifted, tilting at an elegant arc, and formless water flowed out from within, which he drank down bit by bit. "Eh? This is—"

Yang Jian's gaze sharpened; he faintly sensed a tenuous connection, which seemed to be the trail of a Spirit Treasure.

Thinking of his Martial Uncle Taiyi's background, he was stunned, finding it hard to believe.

Immediately, he circulated his great Dharma, using supreme power surpassing that of a Great Luo, and relying on this tenuous connection, he communicated with the void, piercing through infinite time and space.

His entire consciousness covered the past, present, and future, reaching everywhere throughout the heavens and myriad worlds.

Finally, after expending immense mental effort, Yang Jian, relying on this connection, saw a scene in an unknown, hidden place.

A great bell.

It stood quietly, deep and ancient.

The knob on the top of the great bell was extremely exquisite, gorgeous and translucent, as if surrounded by a thousand lotuses, or like the trajectory of light cast by the sun, moon, and stars.

The bell body below was very massive. The lines were extremely elegant, covered in the most ancient seal script from after the opening of the world.

Interspersed in the gaps were twisted patterns, some purple-blue, some cinnabar-red, some brilliant gold, gathering together to emboss hundreds of millions of the Demon Clan, some opening their eyes, some spreading their wings, some running, some shrieking strangely.

Looking closer, all the manifested Demon Clan surrounded the center, where golden flames soared, flying clouds flowed with color, and a Three-Legged Golden Crow appeared faintly.

Just by contemplating it, his whole person felt heavy.

"The Innate Supreme Treasure, Chaos Bell!"

"Or rather, the Donghuang Bell!"

Dong! Dong! Dong! Just as Yang Jian prepared to think further, suddenly, three ancient bell tolls came from the void, each heavier than the last, each more terrifying than the last.

With just one vibration, it directly shattered everything in his mind regarding the Donghuang Bell.

Only fragments remained, scattered everywhere.

"Hoo—"

Yang Jian pressed his hand to his brow; behind him, divine light gathered like a ring, and layers of formless halos spread out, circled by golden light and adorned with demon script, chanting back and forth.

If one listened, one could hear it was exactly a hymn to the Golden Crow, the glory of the three legs, and the majesty of the Emperor.

After a long while—

He finally dispelled the invading power. The bell tolls and Golden Crow chants echoing in his primordial spirit finally dissipated.

Taking a deep breath to wash away the previous stuffiness and discomfort, Yang Jian could not help but sigh: "Donghuang Taiyi, truly lives up to his reputation!"

"Only today do I know the difficulty of Martial Uncle Taiyi!"

Coming back to his senses, his thoughts turned, and he muttered to himself: "Martial Uncle, oh Martial Uncle—you really think highly of your disciple Yang Jian, actually setting such a difficult problem for me."

When Nezha brought out his master's gift, Yang Jian knew that this gift was absolutely no ordinary object.

After all, the background of his Martial Uncle Taiyi was not simple.

Not long after Donghuang Taiyi fell in the great calamity, he was about to gather his True Spirit and return to Honghuang.

As a result, his grandmaster, Yuanshi Tianzun, sensed this Heavenly Secret in advance.

He used his means to transform the True Spirit, which had been gathered to less than half, into a new living being, preventing the return of Donghuang Taiyi.

And this new living being was named Taiyi by Yuanshi Tianzun and taken as a disciple, becoming the current Taiyi Zhenren.

That's right; it could be said that Taiyi Zhenren is the reincarnation of half of Donghuang Taiyi's True Spirit.

Yet even so, Yang Jian did not expect his martial uncle to be so generous, gifting him some information regarding the Donghuang Bell as a congratulatory present.

It's just that this opportunity is not easy to accept!

Yang Jian thought to himself.

Donghuang Bell, Donghuang Bell...

It is clearly the Innate Supreme Treasure Chaos Bell; why does it also bear the name Donghuang Bell?

The reason is—

As the companion Spirit Treasure of Donghuang Taiyi, the Innate Supreme Treasure Chaos Bell has been completely refined by him.

Even its innate name, which was verified by heaven and earth and branded into the void, was domineeringly changed to Donghuang Bell by Donghuang Taiyi.

It can be said that unless Pangu the Great is resurrected, under the mandate of heaven, this Innate Supreme Treasure, the Chaos Bell, will forever belong to the Donghuang.

Even Taiyi Zhenren, who is equivalent to half a reincarnation of Donghuang, cannot control the Donghuang Bell, nor does he know the specific current location of the Donghuang Bell, which vanished into the void after Donghuang Taiyi fell.

Otherwise, the profound mystery he transmitted to Yang Jian would not have been so vague and indistinct, only allowing Yang Jian to obtain a faint, tenuous connection.

It can be said that for Yang Jian to obtain the Donghuang Bell, as things stand, it is fraught with difficulties.

Because, due to the shifting of eras, the speed at which Donghuang Taiyi is returning to Honghuang is also greatly accelerating, to the point where it can already faintly influence the present world.

Otherwise, he would not have asked Nezha earlier, "Whether his master, Taiyi Zhenren, is already unable to suppress it."

Because Taiyi Zhenren was formed from the transformation of nearly half of Donghuang Taiyi's True Spirit.

The simplest way for Donghuang Taiyi to return to Honghuang is to directly erase the consciousness of Taiyi Zhenren and be reborn from within his body.

And Taiyi Zhenren is not an avatar or clone of Donghuang Taiyi, but a brand-new living being with an independent consciousness; naturally, he is unwilling to perish from the world just like that.

It can be said that from the moment Taiyi Zhenren was born, the two were absolute, irreconcilable mortal enemies.

Either you die, or I perish.

Using the power of Donghuang Taiyi to suppress Donghuang Taiyi—one must admit, this move by Yuanshi Tianzun is truly ruthless and brilliant.

Returning to the previous topic, with the faint awakening of Donghuang Taiyi, the location of the Donghuang Bell has become increasingly difficult to find.

Even if one were lucky enough to find it, it would be very difficult to subdue. The fact that he was just now countered and eroded by the Donghuang Bell is proof of this.

Therefore, in Yang Jian's view, this opportunity is too difficult to accept.

Even if all these issues were resolved, other factions alone would not sit idly by and allow the Chan Sect to possess another Innate Supreme Treasure.

Moreover, it is the Chaos Bell, one of the various treasures used to open the heavens.

Otherwise, would there be any way for other factions to survive?

With his thoughts turning a hundred times, after a long while, Yang Jian brushed away the ripples in his heart, regained some calm, and murmured in his heart: "However, one thing is certain."

He gazed into the void.

It seems that his martial uncle Taiyi must have an unusual purpose for this seclusion.

There is a high probability that it is a case of success or death.

Otherwise, he would not have so hurriedly transmitted the information regarding the whereabouts of the supreme treasure, the Donghuang Bell, to him.

Huashan, Yang Chan's dojo.

A palace building with a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof, covered in azure Glazed Tiles, with dragons carved and phoenixes sculpted on the inner and outer eaves. Layers of auspicious mist and spiritual energy swirled all around.

Within the palace, bursts of dragon roars echoed incessantly, sometimes low and winding, sometimes impassioned, sometimes long and melodious, sometimes awe-inspiring.

It was as if inside the palace was a vast Dragon Abyss, and within the abyss were numerous divine dragons.

From time to time, golden light shot out from this palace, colliding with Yang Chan's dojo. It splashed back and forth, one after another, leaving behind countless traces of Daoyuan.

The floor of the palace was paved with golden bricks, and Fang Longye sat quietly on a high platform, his figure ethereal and vacant, as if he were here, yet also as if he were in another time and space, exceptionally profound.

With every breath he took, he resonated with the void of heaven and earth, leaving countless traces in the surrounding space and emitting indescribable profound sounds.

Above his head, a cloud of celebration the size of an acre hung, with a pillar of destiny reaching straight into the void, a canopy held high, and various Daoyuan manifesting, gathering into the phantoms of different implements.

Some were horizontal flutes, some treasure boxes, some ruyi, some scriptures, and further up were thousands of lotus lamps, illuminating the surroundings with a sense of clarity.

"Great fortune!"

Fang Longye felt his own changes, and the agitation in his heart was like waves, difficult to calm.

Previously, through his Golden Finger, he had traded for all the Wu Clan Essence Blood belonging to the Twelve Witches.

And now, after quite some effort, he had finally used secret techniques to smelt the Wu Clan Essence Blood of each lineage into his own Bloodline.

Without a single omission!

Although limited by his own capacity, he had only smelted one drop of each lineage's Wu Clan Essence Blood into his body.

Although these Wu Clan Essence Bloods only came from Wu Clan members at the Taiyi level and could not be counted as true Great Witch Essence Blood.

Despite various shortcomings, he still welcomed the infusion of fortune, which granted him an all-around transformation, as if he were reborn.

Both his Bloodline and his true form felt as if they had been recast.

Every aspect of his physical body had seen immense progress compared to before.

How great was this progress?

Let's put it this way: Fang Longye felt his current physical body, compared to before, had a feeling of instantly growing from an ant into an elephant.

With the Wu Clan Essence Blood of the Twelve Witches entering his body, the change was just that great!

(End of chapter)