Chapter 222

Tang An thought about it, and the Yama King's words did make sense.

"Then how about you invite the Six Paths Disk to come see me?"

Yama King:...???

What the hell? What was she saying?

"Destined One, this humble king..."

"Little mouth, shut it." Tang An's smile remained, but her eyes turned cold.

"Today, I have decided to change the fate of those two."

"Either the Underworld complies with my wishes and changes their fate."

"Or I enter the reincarnation disk, and no matter if it's the Heavenly Dao or some Saint, nobody gets to play anymore."

Tang An had deeply realized that her arrival as the Destined One might be an accident chosen by the Heavenly Dao, but it could be an inevitability in the Saint's chess game.

Her choice to smash the chessboard at this moment might not be devastating to the game.

But at the very least, this move was enough to disrupt the layouts of many people over thousands of years.

One could even say it directly ruined the Journey to the West Calamity.

"Destined One, why go to such lengths?" The Yama King didn't understand. "Just for two people? No, one of them is even a demon."

"Is the price you're paying too high? Is it really worth it?"

"A demon?" Tang An laughed. "What's wrong with being a demon? Are you more noble than a demon?"

"Do you dare to face Wukong and call him a monkey demon?"

The Yama King was rendered speechless; he truly didn't dare.

"As for whether it's worth it..." Tang An thought for a moment, and finally, she only smiled faintly.

"Saving the foundation of Huaxia is worth it, saving the Great Tang is worth it, saving the common people is worth it. Then, is saving my disciples and friends not worth it?"

"To others, perhaps saving a greater number of people makes the sacrifice more meaningful."

"But to me, saving one person and saving a group of people have the same meaning."

After saying this, Tang An looked at the Yama King again.

"So, are you going to take us, or not?"

Tang An's personality was actually very stubborn.

From the time she was a child, when she would fight with others and rather take a beating from her grandmother than admit defeat, it had already been clear.

Whether it was the Heavenly Dao or a Saint, if they wanted to use her without paying some interest, she certainly wouldn't be willing.

The Yama King sighed. "Everyone, please follow me."

He hadn't understood before how Tang An, a mere mortal, could be the master of those three killing gods.

But at this moment, he seemed to understand.

Being a mortal was just her physical form, and being the Destined One was just her status. Her thoughts and insights were the true transcendence that was not confined by the world.

In the Underworld, before the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk.

Many souls who had drunk Meng Po's soup were waiting to be reincarnated.

The Yama King performed a hand seal, leading Tang An and the others through the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk to stand before the true Six Paths Disk.

Before Tang An was a large wheel, twenty or thirty meters in diameter. The disk looked like stone, covered in ancient and mysterious symbols. On it were six beads of different colors, corresponding to the six paths.

The Six Paths Disk rotated slowly clockwise, its center resembling a misty bronze mirror, yet it seemed to isolate a space of its own.

"You have come?"

An extremely gentle voice appeared in this space.

Sun Wukong, Yang Jian, Nezha, and the Yama King all bowed.

"We pay our respects to Houtu Niangniang."

"Houtu Niangniang?" Tang An looked around but saw nothing.

"I know why you have come. May I have a word with the Destined One in private?"

Sun Wukong, Yang Jian, and Nezha exchanged a glance, then looked at Tang An, letting her make the decision.

It seemed they all trusted that Houtu Niangniang would not harm her.

"Tang An, it is an honor."

Before the words had faded, Tang An felt her vision blur.

When she could see clearly again, she was in a place filled with purple-black mist.

Coming here, Tang An didn't feel any discomfort. She even felt as if she had returned to her living state, able to walk on the ground directly.

"You are the Destined One?"

A figure appeared before Tang An, without the airs of those great gods, and without any flashy special effects.

She looked to be in her twenties or thirties, wearing ancient and distinctive clothing. Her entire demeanor was extremely gentle, making one unable to help but want to draw near.

"Tang An pays her respects to Houtu Niangniang." This was also the first time Tang An had bowed so politely to a big shot.

As for the Jade Emperor and the Buddha, well... um... that wasn't important.

Houtu Niangniang reached out to help her up, looking her over with eyes full of gentleness and appreciation.

"You have come for those two, haven't you?"

With a wave of her hand, the souls of Bai Susu and Xu Xuan appeared beside Tang An.

But both of them had their eyes closed, without a shred of consciousness.

"Susu?"

"Xu Xuan?"

"Susu?"

Houtu sighed with compassion. "They two also have their own destiny."

"Now that they have died, their souls have automatically returned to the Six Paths Disk to be nurtured, waiting quietly for reincarnation to begin."

Tang An lowered her arms and turned to look at Houtu Niangniang.

"If I want to change their fate, what price must I pay, and what are the chances of success?"

Houtu Niangniang didn't seem surprised by Tang An's words at all.

"Their fate is determined by Heaven and cannot be changed."

Tang An chuckled. "But Houtu Niangniang, you clearly knew I would come. You even tacitly allowed me to take that Life Ledger and change the fates of those mortals. Isn't that telling me that fate can also be changed?"

Houtu Niangniang looked at Tang An; she was truly a rare, intelligent person.

"Do you know that excessive wisdom leads to an early death?"

"Tang An only knows that before my destiny ends, even if I want to die, I can't."

"Do you know that destiny is hard to defy?"

"Destiny is hard to defy, but not impossible to defy."

"Do you know that fate is determined by Heaven and cannot be changed by human effort?"

"The fate in the Life Ledger cannot be changed by mortals, but it can be changed by gods."

A long silence followed, with only the two of them looking at each other.

After a long silence, Houtu Niangniang finally spoke.

"I can help you."

"How?"

"Fulfill their last wishes, and before destiny descends, give them the life they wanted. Let them live one lifetime according to their own hearts."

"One lifetime, how long is that?"

"Thirty years at the shortest, fifty years at the longest."

Tang An raised her hands in a bow. "Tang An thanks Houtu Niangniang."

"In this way, do you feel you have changed their destiny?"

Tang An smiled faintly. "I have only fulfilled their last wishes and changed their brief lifetime of being themselves."

"Their destiny will continue after this lifetime ends."

"But it doesn't matter. The current Tang An cannot change it. After the scripture seeking is over, I will come back and change it myself."

Houtu Niangniang looked at Tang An with appreciation, her smile undiminished.

"You and I have a bond of fate. This item, the Houtu Divine Ring, I gift to you for self-defense."

"With this item on your person, you can resist all power of curses."

A bond of fate? Where did the bond come from? It came from that pill that allowed her soul to briefly leave her body while her physical form remained intact.

In other words, Tang An had guessed correctly. That pill was most likely related to Houtu Niangniang.

Tang An took the Houtu Divine Ring and bowed again. "Thank you, Houtu Niangniang."

"Go now. I look forward to the day we meet again."

As these words finished, Tang An felt her body being pushed out by a gentle force.

When she appeared again, she was back beside Sun Wukong and the others.