Chapter 338: The Useless Root Vessel (Requesting Monthly Votes! Requesting Subscription!)

Yun Cheng Wan Li Peng, also known as the legendary Golden-Winged Great Peng, was the third most powerful demon king among the three demons of Lion-Camel Ridge in the Journey to the West.

Of course, though ranked third, he was in truth the most formidable of the three Lion-Camel demons, for he was the son of the Southern Mountain Phoenix and the younger brother of the Buddha Mother, Mahamayuri; in a certain sense, he could even be called the Buddha’s maternal uncle.

His bloodline was extraordinary, and he had studied countless Buddhist spells and powers from the Western Heaven’s Lingshan, especially teleportation techniques—merely flapping his wings could carry him ninety thousand li in an instant, far more terrifying than Sun Wukong’s somersault cloud.

Thus, though lacking any formal rank among the Buddhas, Yun Cheng Wan Li Peng’s abilities surpassed many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, much like Wang Lingguan, serving as the equivalent of a top enforcer.

Incidentally, after the Journey to the West ended, Sun Wukong, who became the Buddha of Combat Victory, was the first top enforcer of the Buddhist Order—until he later resigned from the Buddhist fold, was besieged by the Heavenly Army, and perished, at which point the title passed to Yun Cheng Wan Li Peng.

Back to the matter at hand.

Hearing the Buddha call his name, Yun Cheng Wan Li Peng immediately straightened his posture, stepped forward from among the Buddhas, clasped his hands in mudra, and bowed deeply to the Buddha: “Your disciple is here. May I ask what Your Holiness commands?”

Observing Yun Cheng Wan Li Peng’s defiant yet respectful demeanor, the Buddha nodded in satisfaction and said: “The resurrection of the Buddha of Combat Victory concerns the prestige of Lingshan and must not fail. Your teleportation is the fastest—go to Huaguo Mountain first. If you find the Heaven-ordained one obstructed by Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, lend him your aid…”

Here, the Buddha paused slightly, then raised a finger, sending a golden light that landed before Yun Cheng Wan Li Peng and gradually took the shape of a golden bowl.

“If, after the Buddha of Combat Victory returns, he remains unruly and refuses to submit, use this golden bowl to subdue him and bring him back to Lingshan—I shall deal with him in my own way.”

Upon hearing the latter half, Yun Cheng Wan Li Peng’s eyes sharpened, then he reached out and took the golden bowl, respectfully saying: “I humbly obey the Buddha’s decree!”

…

Meanwhile, at Flame Mountain, the Ruin Pit.

Wu Xian, accompanied by his fourth sister Zhu Bajie, Princess Iron Fan, Hao Fu Lishi, and Ma Tianba, arrived at this forbidden zone where Niutou Wang was imprisoned.

Sensing someone’s approach, Niutou Wang weakly opened his eyes—but the first thing he noticed was not his wife or subordinates, but the monkey who resembled his memory by at least nine-tenths.

“So similar… truly similar…”

Niutou Wang murmured to himself, but when he saw Wu Xian’s eyes, his expression froze, then he let out a mournful laugh.

“Hehehe, so that’s it—you’re not him. I thought that rascally monkey was truly that hard to kill, that even dying like that wouldn’t finish him off—but I overestimated him.”

He turned to Princess Iron Fan, his tone softening: “My lady, are you unharmed?”

“Great King!”

Hearing this, Princess Iron Fan burst into tears, stepped forward, and knelt on the ground, weeping: “It was all my fault that you suffered this.”

“Don’t blame you, nor him… these are merely karmic retributions.”

Niutou Wang sighed. The “him” he referred to was Hong Haier, yet he did not ask after Hong Haier’s condition—he had already prepared himself for the worst.

“Alas, who would have thought that Niutou Wang, the mighty demon king who terrified all demons, would end up like this?”

Gazing at the towering white ox, now frail and broken, Wu Xian sighed, then asked:

“Forgive my boldness—over these years, have you ever regretted your choices?”

Niutou Wang chuckled bitterly: “Choices… hehe! The monkey once said the same thing—he said I was the unluckiest man alive, never once choosing right.”

“Perhaps. But except for that final battle against him, the other two times—whether fighting beside him or at Flame Mountain—I never regretted my choices. Even if I could relive them, I’d choose the same.”

“I understand.”

Wu Xian nodded, then, under Princess Iron Fan’s hopeful gaze, raised his clenched right fist and slammed it hard into the empty air before him.

CRACK—SHATTER!

With the sound of shattering glass, the invisible void, previously sealed by the array, exploded apart. Countless golden runes trembled violently, then shattered into fragments, dissolving into the air like scattered specks of light.

Simultaneously, the invisible restraints binding Niutou Wang vanished instantly; his spiritual essence and magical power began flowing through his body again. Though still weak, he now had the strength to move.

“Such a brutal method—no wonder your son couldn’t match you. Even the monkey in his prime couldn’t have done better.”

As Niutou Wang spoke, his abdomen and throat rippled. After a moment, he spat out a yellow crystal, radiating a soft glow. If observed closely, one could see within it a two-headed pig, one in front, one behind, seemingly pulling at each other.

Undoubtedly, this was Sun Wukong’s fifth root vessel—Shen Ben You!

Its two-headed pig form derives from the divine beast Bingfeng in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, regarded as an omen of prosperity and good fortune, yet in the context of Black Myth’s plot, it also symbolizes helplessness.

“This thing is deeply sinister. I’ve never used it since acquiring it—I’ve kept it in my stomach, unknown to all. Now I give it to you—it’s only right it returns to its true owner.”

Saying this, Niutou Wang guided the Shen Ben You toward Wu Xian and added: “Heaven’s decree, heaven’s decree—it’s all just a bitter fate… Little monkey, since you’re not him, you must be even more cautious. Whether you can attain true enlightenment now depends entirely on past karmic connections.”

Wu Xian said nothing, only reached out and took the Shen Ben You.

Unlike in the game, Hong Haier was already completely defeated, and no one stood in his way—he easily absorbed the root vessel into his body, unlocking several new talents.

According to the game’s logic, these talents could be broadly divided into three types—

Light and Swift: Greatly reduces the stamina cost of all charged heavy strikes.

Longevity and Fortune: Slightly increases maximum health.

Immunity to Calamities: Slightly increases resistance to the Four Calamities.

Hmm… I don’t know if it’s because this isn’t a pure game, but the original rule—unlocking only one talent during first playthrough—has vanished; all three talents were unlocked at once.

But those who understand, understand: these talents seem powerful, yet their scale is too small. For an ordinary Heaven-ordained one, they might be a boon—but for Wu Xian, whose stats are off the charts, they’re not even useless.

Especially the Shen Ben You—it’s utterly useless. At least, after absorbing it, Wu Xian felt no change in his body whatsoever.

“Sigh… sometimes being too strong isn’t a good thing—you lose even the joy of leveling up.”

Wu Xian silently grumbled, then looked again at Niutou Wang and said: “Great King, your injuries are severe. Over these years, suppressing the Buddha’s root vessels has drained much of your spiritual essence. If you continue like this, you won’t live much longer.”

“Hehe, in this world, people like us are guilty just for being alive. Death would be peaceful.”

Niutou Wang sighed, like a fish that had given up entirely, leaving everyone present speechless.

“Great King!”

Hearing this, Princess Iron Fan panicked, turned to Wu Xian, and bowed her head to the ground: “Please, Immortal, save my Great King! I swear I will fulfill any demand you make—even this Bajiao Fan, I give it to you!”

Lady, your words are dangerous—they keep reminding me of unmentionable films.

Wu Xian’s lip twitched, then he turned to Niutou Wang with a sly grin: “Great King, see? If you die, at least someone will weep for you—not just Princess Iron Fan. I know you have a daughter too. Can you bear to abandon them and leave them alone in this cruel world?”

“You… what exactly do you want?”

Niutou Wang fell silent for a long moment, then asked.

“Very simple.”

Wu Xian grinned.

“I just want you to make one more choice.”

————

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