Chapter 338: Turbulence in the Honghu Realm

Spring departs and autumn comes,

Seven or eight years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Over these years, Fang Longye's true body has not stayed by the Honghu World the entire time; he has wandered about from time to time.

Sometimes he returns to his own Daoist temple to check on the progress of his wedding preparations, and other times he travels to where the Demon Master Mansion is located to socialize with some Taiyi Great Demons...

However, no matter how he wanders, he has only ever circled within the borders of Beiju Luzhou, never straying far from Beiju Luzhou to go anywhere else.

For one, there are only a few years left until his wedding, so it is inconvenient to travel far. After all, if something were to happen and it caused a delay, it wouldn't sound very good, would it? Secondly, the day to seize the Honghu Realm is not far off, so he naturally needs his true body to keep watch and provide some assistance to the avatar he has planted inside the enemy's ranks.

On this day, the cold mountains in the night are silent, and the surroundings are tranquil.

The craggy stone colors reflect onto the gnarled pine branches, interspersed with three or five clusters of tea trees, their leaves swaying.

Upon them, a shallow color of rain has accumulated.

It is unknown when the rain fell, hanging precariously.

Looking between the pine cliffs, there is a flying pavilion with a square cover and a round top, its four corners adorned with upturned eaves, and windows of gold and jade; the entire structure is engraved with mysterious patterns, shimmering with flowing light and brilliant colors, magnificent and beautiful.

Inside the flying pavilion,

Fang Longye sits upright on a cloud bed, reading a Jade Slip in his hand, pondering to himself.

After a short while, he casually turns the Jade Slip into flying ash, rubs his brow, and says with a depressed expression, "I didn't expect getting married to be so troublesome~"

It is because, under the guidance of those two female historians and the overtime efforts of all the personnel, the various matters of his wedding have finally been prepared properly.

At present, all that remains is to pick a good day to send out the invitations and wait for the auspicious time to welcome his three brides into his home~

And the Jade Slip from just now was sent over by those two Great Luo realm female historians.

Besides informing him that everything is prepared, it also listed several auspicious days for him to choose from~

It sounds like he, the person involved, seems very relaxed, with almost nothing for him to do throughout the process.

In reality, the precautions regarding the wedding listed in this single Jade Slip alone are countless.

It must be that those two female historians were afraid that he had no experience holding a wedding for the first time, so they simply listed all the precautions.

They want him, the groom, to keep them in mind so as not to make mistakes and lose face in front of others.

"A headache~"

Fang Longye shakes his head. Sure enough, whether in his past life or this one, mundane or extraordinary, getting married is a damn troublesome affair~

If it weren't for the fact that those mighty figures have determined he possesses the so-called legacy of Xihuang, forcing him to think about finding more backers to deal with that bunch of people who eat others without spitting out the bones, he wouldn't want to get married at all!

How wonderful it is to be free and unfettered~

"What a pity~"

Amidst his sighs, Fang Longye does not think much more and takes a Jade Slip from his pouch to write a reply.

There are several auspicious wedding days chosen for him by these two female historians, some early and some late~ The earliest is in three months, and the latest is five years from now.

Without a doubt, he sets the time for the wedding to be five years later.

For one, his wedding is no small matter, so it wouldn't be appropriate to rush it; having more time to check for omissions and fill gaps is good.

After all, he is now the Young Lord of the Dragon Clan, and his status and position are different; the guests who come to offer congratulations will not be limited to a few friends he is on good terms with.

More of them will be representatives of various forces; in one phrase, they are people of status and reputation.

If something were to go wrong~ it would truly be a loss of face across the entire Honghuang.

Secondly, he really cannot get away at the moment, because his avatar deep within the Honghu Realm is making good progress and is about to ascend to the position of Heavenly Emperor.

Clearly, the time to take over the entire Honghu Realm is not far off~ it can be said to have reached a critical stage.

Otherwise, his true body would not be guarding here. He must be ready at all times to coordinate from the inside and outside, assisting his avatar in seizing this Middle Thousand World.

After sending out the written Jade Slip, Fang Longye ponders the matter of Sun Wukong again.

"I wonder how long it will be before this Sun Wukong gets to know Niu Mowang and the others?"

Fang Longye's gaze is obscure and difficult to fathom, filled with an indescribable meaning~

Judging from the information that Yuan Hong has been sending back, the Monkey has been quite comfortable these years~ Apart from drilling troops and stirring up trouble at Huaguo Mountain, he mostly spends his time playing outside, either roaming the Four Seas or enjoying himself in the thousand mountains.

He displays his martial arts everywhere, visiting heroes; he uses his supernatural powers all around, making many wise friends.

Although he hasn't met Niu Mowang, Jiao Mowang, and the others as he did in the original story, he has already made quite a name for himself in the Four Seas~

"Stop thinking about it~"

Fang Longye shakes his head. When the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally go straight. Regardless of when this Monkey starts the script of Havoc in Heaven, he has already made his move in advance.

There is no fear of being unable to intervene when the time comes~

The urgent matter at hand is still this Middle Thousand World before him.

Fang Longye's gaze is like a torch as he looks at this world formed from the remains of the Honghu.

"Soon!"

It won't be long before his avatar ascends to the position of Heavenly Emperor!...

Honghu World,

Above the Nine Heavens, where the Heavenly Court is located.

Mingjun walks in a hurry and arrives at the Jiuxiao Hall.

Along the way, the light from the dark patterns on the bronze pillars in the hall and the nine precious lamps hanging from the dome tilts onto her body, flickering between light and shadow.

Just like the situation the Heavenly Court is facing at this moment.

The members of the Heavenly Clan she sees along the way are far fewer than in the past. Moreover, everyone is walking in a hurry, with solemn expressions, not cracking a smile.

Even when they see her, the God of Heaven-Watching, they only nod and do not stop for even a moment.

The atmosphere of the entire Jiuxiao Hall is heavy, oppressive, urgent, and anxious...

Strained to the extreme~

Soon, Mingjun arrives at the central hall, pushes the door open and enters, only to see her brother-in-law sitting upright on the throne, holding a Jade Slip and reading something.

Sister Mingxi, as always, sat beside her brother-in-law Chonghua, but her brow was filled with sorrow, no longer possessing her usual grace and strength.

Apart from the two of them, there remained only a few maids and attendants, lonely and desolate; the scene of gods bowing and chanting to the Heavenly Emperor was long gone.

A sense of melancholy could not help but rise from the bottom of her heart.

This was not a private audience like in the past, which was why there were so few people; it was caused by the tense state of the war.

In fact, even if one were to abandon everything now, it would be impossible to gather that many people~

Ever since that ambitious Long Que raised his army to strike at the heavens, a large portion of the gods under her brother-in-law's command had defected at the very first opportunity.

The rest had either died or surrendered in a series of battles. To this day, they no longer had many capable subordinates under their command~

"Your Majesty~"

Mingkun stepped forward and performed a formal salute.

"Cough, cough—"

Seeing Mingkun arrive, Chonghua, sitting upright at the head, raised his head; his pupils were crimson, glowing like flames, and behind him, a bird's head curled and drooped, with vermilion colors in patches, giving one a sense of frailty.

He had just been about to greet Mingkun, but he did not expect that opening his mouth would aggravate his wounds, making him unable to stop coughing.

"Husband~"

"Brother-in-law~"

"I am fine~"

After coughing, Chonghua's face was pale; looking at the earnest concern on the faces of Mingxi and Mingkun, a smile appeared on his face as he sought to comfort the two sisters.

A moment later, he recovered and looked at Mingkun, saying: "Mingkun, what news is there this time?"

"I~"

Seeing her brother-in-law's frailty, Mingkun, even though she was always calm, now felt some hesitation, wavering over whether to tell him the current situation.

The other party was currently dragging his wounded body; even if he learned of the current situation, it would be of no help and could not stop the increasingly surging enemies.

It might even worsen his injuries~

"Speak of it~"

The halo behind Chonghua rotated, and the bird's head within it emitted a low sound.

Masking the pallor on his face, he pressed one hand on the desk, looked at Mingkun, and smiled:

"With the situation as it is now, I can accept even worse circumstances; there is nothing left to hide."

Mingkun knew this was the truth.

She no longer hesitated; with a flick of her cloud-patterned sleeves, a scroll shot out from within. Once unfurled, the heavens and earth, the Four Seas and the eight wildernesses, the mountains and rivers, were all contained within it.

This scroll was, in fact, the map of the world's Earth Veins, recording the famous mountains and great rivers, the Cave Heaven Blessed Lands,... and so on and so forth.

All the key strategic nodes were contained within it.

One could see that every key location was marked, with red and green representing the enemy and themselves respectively. It was just that it was completely filled with red, representing the hostile forces.

At a single glance, it was shocking~ "That scoundrel Long Que's movements are becoming larger and larger!"

Mingkun stretched out her hand, her slender fingers lightly brushing across the scroll, and she spoke: "Mingkun, Danghu, Qiju, Yequ, and Yaoying have all fallen; Bifu, Chihu, and Baihan have been captured~ We are now left only with the Heavenly Court."

There was a deep sense of unwillingness in Mingkun's voice; thinking back to when her brother-in-law established the Heavenly Court, suppressing the universe, with all gods coming to pay homage—what a great achievement that was!

Yet now, it had been barely a few hundred years since that scoundrel Long Que raised his army to strike at the heavens, and he had actually forced them to the point where the great edifice was about to collapse~ "When you first established the Heavenly Court, husband, you should not have shown mercy to those who harbored ulterior motives!" the Heavenly Empress Mingxi said bitterly.

The Heavenly Court was established by the Heavenly Clan, but that did not mean all of the Heavenly Clan had joined the Heavenly Court or submitted to the seat of Chonghua, the Heavenly Emperor.

There were many Innate Spirits who, although they belonged to the Heavenly Clan, did not recognize Chonghua's rule, even though Chonghua was the first living being born in this world.

Everyone was of the same realm, and their origins were not vastly different; you merely took advantage of some benefits and were born a bit earlier than us, so why should you be high and mighty? Therefore,

This portion of the Heavenly Clan that was unwilling to submit to Chonghua each opened up their own Cave Heaven Blessed Lands, living in seclusion across the Four Seas and eight wildernesses, claiming they would not submit to heavenly management and would not follow heavenly laws.

And in the past, Chonghua, mindful of the impact of kin killing kin, and having full confidence in his own strength, did not pay them much mind~

Who would have thought that this Long Que, who shocked the universe the moment he appeared, would actually unite with these people, raise an army to strike at the heavens, and incite a rebellion!

And it had escalated to such a great extent~

It could be said that compared to that 'Long Que', Mingxi hated this group of people even more to the bone~ Even if Long Que seized the heavenly position, one could only say that his skills were inferior and that it was the will of heaven!

But did this group of vermin, no different from rats in the ground, deserve to be on the winning side? At the mere thought of them, this group of vermin, wearing triumphant expressions after they were defeated and killed, Mingxi could not help but burn with rage~

"'When the time comes, heaven and earth share the same luck; when luck departs, the hero is not free'! Such is the will of heaven, what can be done about it!"

Hearing Mingxi's words of hatred, Chonghua shook his head and said nothing more.

That Long Que had Heavenly Luck upon him, and his actions were always successful; even without these dissident first-generation Heavenly Clan members, there would have been other assistance~ Furthermore~ he sensed the powerlessness of his true form and could not help but sigh in his heart.

The other party not only had Heavenly Luck added to his body, but his strength was also unfathomable, having reached a degree that was hard to imagine.

His own injuries were not discounted in the slightest; they were left by the other party fair and square, with real blades and real spears~ Thinking of this,

He clapped his hands to attract the attention of the two sisters, then his expression became very solemn, and he said:

"With Long Que's momentum, he will soon bring people to attack the Heavenly Court. When that time comes, if something unexpected happens, you must promise me to flee this place as soon as possible."

Chonghua paused, his voice becoming heavy and firm:

"Long Que's target is me. You take Zhanghua and leave. He is still young, and now his Bloodline has undergone a transformation; perhaps he can make a comeback in the future~"

"Zhanghua~"

Upon hearing this, Mingxi waved her jade hand, and the condensed light became like a mirror, reflecting the scene in the side hall.

On a beautifully decorated large couch, their beloved son—Zhanghua—was sleeping soundly in his true form~

His true form did not look very large; his feathers had become exquisite and beautiful, vermilion as fire, especially the bird's head, which was completely different from before, having changed its appearance entirely.

If there were any knowledgeable person from the Earth Immortal Realm here, they would be able to see that this appearance of Crown Prince Zhanghua was actually seven or eight parts similar to a quail.

The quail is a type of the Phoenix Clan.

The "Classic of Mountains and Seas: Classic of the Western Mountains" records: "On Kunlun Hill, there is a bird named the quail, which is in charge of the Emperor's hundred garments."

There is also the "Pi Ya" citing Shi Kuang's "Qin Jing" which says:

"The red Phoenix is called the Chun."

Although Chonghua was not clear about exactly what Bloodline his son was transforming into, he could sense an aura that was inherited from the same lineage, yet even more supreme and noble than his own.

Though it was hard to believe, it was clearly a good thing, especially at such a critical juncture—this was also why he would say words of high expectation like "perhaps we can make a comeback in the future."

Truly, the ways of the world are mysterious.

Clearly holed up in a Middle Thousand World, this little fledgling Zhanghua, who was not even an Innate Spirit, was actually able to transform into a Bloodline comparable to the Great Swan, the source of this world.

One can only say that Heaven does not cut off all paths for man, and in the darkness, a glimmer of survival is left behind. However, just because Heaven and Earth leave a glimmer of survival, it does not mean that people will do the same.

If this avatar of Fang Longye were not a visitor from beyond the heavens, but merely a native of this world, perhaps he really could have let the little fledgling Zhanghua stage a "Prince's Revenge" drama.

Unfortunately, they were facing an enemy from the Honghuang Great Universe; the will of a mere Middle Thousand World could not influence Fang Longye.

What's more, once this avatar of Fang Longye ascended to the position of Heavenly Emperor, it would be the moment this world fell into its end.

"Make a comeback?"

Mingxi looked at her precious son, her eyes unfocused; was it really possible?

The invincible posture of that fellow Long Que was deeply branded in her mind.

Even Chonghua, the first living being born between Heaven and Earth, was no match for him; expecting Zhanghua to surpass his master was too unrealistic!

However,

She understood the intention behind her husband saying these words.

It was to give her a thought, a thought of revenge, a thought to live on well, so as to avoid her following him to his death when the decisive battle came—

But my husband—if you are not here, what meaning is there in my living? It would be nothing more than going to my death! You and I were born on the same day in the past, so we should naturally die on the same day—as for Zhanghua—

Mingxi looked at her son, who was still sleeping and transforming in the side hall, and thought to herself, forgive your mother for being selfish; the road ahead, you will have to walk alone!

(End of this chapter)