Chapter 400: with translation of chapter title

Jiang Heng was just being polite; although the story type of The Painted Wall belongs to fantasy and action, telling the so-called 'fairy loves mortal,' but the film's effect compared to a 'special-effects blockbuster' can be said to have no relation whatsoever—not a penny's worth.

The Douban rating was pitifully low; Jiang Heng really feared that when these two invited him to attend the premiere, he wouldn't be able to praise it at all! So he gave a perfunctory couple of sentences, then turned to greet others.

After all, there were simply too many guests present; even if each person said just a sentence or two, it would take a lot of time.

Jiang Heng doing this, Wang Changtian couldn't find fault, but he still felt a bit slighted.

Naturally he felt a bit unhappy inside, but when the film was screened and he saw the shocking scenes of 'The Wilderness: Houyi Shoots the Suns,' then recalling the final effect of The Painted Wall, that displeasure was quickly 'crushed.'

The strengths are unequal, after all—there's really no way to demand too much.

However, speaking of this premiere, Broad Sodium Film Industry had erected the world's largest outdoor IMAX screen; when night fell and the big screen lit up, the whole audience let out a gasp.

On the big screen, after the dragon emblem and the logo of Outstanding Rising Film Company, the vast, expansive wilderness appeared; the camera zoomed in, a foot as large as a sedan chair shot down from the sky, landing with a boom and leaving deep footprints.

Because it was in 3D format, the effects were extremely realistic; just this one shot made the audience's hearts jump violently.

The speakers set up around the venue also emitted a tremendous sound.

But then another huge foot came down, lifted, came down again, lifted again.

The camera panned out, revealing a giant about thirty-plus meters tall sprinting across the wilderness; looking at his face, it was indeed Ding Haifeng, who had played Tang Seng many times.

He wore simple clothing, held a huge bamboo staff in his hand, and ran at extreme speed; mountains and rivers beneath his feet seemed like flat ground.

In the blink of an eye he chased from dense forests and grasslands to the vast wasteland.

In the sky were three suns formed from golden crows, flying westward with great effort.

One of them seemed badly wounded; as it passed over a desert, it dropped a feather, causing a barren mountain to erupt in raging flames.

The giant on the ground was precisely Kuafu; seeing him leap, he covered several kilometers in a single bound, crossing it outright.

Not wanting to look up after passing, he saw many more golden crows in the sky, each shedding feathers; within an eight-hundred-li radius around Kuafu, they ignited raging flames, completely trapping him.

The injured golden crow said, 'It's just messing around with a witch woman—this brat actually chased me thirty thousand li; if not for my brothers' support, I would have nearly broken in his hands!'

Another said, 'A lowly witch dares to challenge the heavenly court!'

'Let them see some fierceness!'

'Yes, let them know our fierceness!' several three-legged golden crows cried out angrily.

But see them spreading their wings, entirely golden yellow, flames swirling around, very beautiful and shocking.

Yet wherever they passed, great rivers dried up, plants withered, and myriad beings suffered.

Just as those few golden crows were flying happily in the sky, a huge, sharp arrow shot up from below with a puff, piercing one golden crow's body.

But see the golden crows panicking, feathers scattering, blood turning to mist; on the screen the film title slowly appeared: 'The Wilderness: Houyi Shoots the Suns.'

A lingering, melancholy background music rose—again, the piece Jiang Heng often uses.

The guests and audience in the venue all curled the corners of their mouths into smiles, feeling that Jiang Heng truly liked this piece, having used it in too many films.

Of course, films that have used this piece are all of good quality, and it can be considered a certification mark.

As for the opening content, it also sparked discussion among the audience.

'The opening is Kuafu chasing the sun, right? It looks truly shocking!' 'Indeed, it must be over thirty meters tall; compared to this, the Hulk is puny!'

'No, the opening plot is explosive—golden crows playing with witch women?'

'Isn't that quite normal? These ten are all princes of the wilderness, far more impressive than any rich second generation; perhaps the witch women themselves clung to them, hoping to join the heavenly court!'

'Hmm, really hard to say.'

'Teacher Ding Haifeng's screen time is also too little, dying right at the start?'

'I kind of miss his portrayal of Tang Seng; when will Director Jiang film the next Journey to the West?'

'Just wait; there's nothing good left to film later!'

……

On the big screen, after the interlude and subtitles, the plot officially began.

Beneath the majestic, towering yet half-collapsed Mount Buzhou, many representatives of the witch tribes gathered, including the great witches Jiufeng, Xiangliu, Chiyou, Xingtian, Houyi, Fengbo, and Yushi.

They gathered together to discuss the matter of the great witch Kuafu's death.

Fengbo angrily said, 'The ten sons of the Heavenly Emperor commit all kinds of evil, often sending people down to abduct witch women; if we continue to endure, when the ancestral witches return, what face will we have to meet them?'

Xiangliu said, 'It's precisely because the ancestral witches are absent that we must endure and yield; the present witch tribes truly are no match for the heavenly court.'

Chiyou sneered, 'To endure today, to endure tomorrow—are we really supposed to just watch them do evil?' The great witch Jiufeng said, 'The ancestral witches have explosive tempers; they flew into deep space to fight over a disagreement; once the fight exhausts their anger, they'll return in a moment.'

Chiyou sneered, 'If they fight for ten or eight years, are we supposed to suffer ten or eight years of resentment? Jiufeng, you're also female; if one day those ten fellows pester you, would you also have to endure?'

The one playing the great witch Jiufeng is precisely Jing Tian.

With a puffed-up appearance and a sharp, decisive gaze, she said, 'I can't endure this; forget it, I'll go find the ancestral witches—hopefully I can bring back two to hold down the fort!'

While speaking, she transformed into a nine-headed divine bird, radiant and gorgeous to the extreme.

In a flash of her wings, only an afterimage remained where she stood; her true form had already flown at extreme speed into the depths of space.

The remaining great witches all wore bewildered expressions.

Handong, who played Houyi, wore a sheepish expression, saying, 'Her impulsive vigor is no less than that of the ancestral witches!'

The other great witches all burst out laughing, and the audience in the venue also laughed.

Some complained that the witch tribes' ancestral witches are unreliable, actually all running off to pick fights, with not a single one left to guard the home.

Some said that when Gonggong and Zhurong fight, they can collapse the heavens—do they even care whether anyone is guarding the home? But more discussed was Jing Tian's portrayal of Jiufeng: not only is her human form extremely beautiful, the original form of Jiufeng is even more gorgeous!

'Director Jiang should let the ancestral witches appear; that would be cool!'

'They're probably reluctant to spend the money—so many ancestral witches, their original forms are all strange and monstrous; transforming each one burns through the budget!'

'We should still emphasize the main character Houyi; the other characters appear too much, it'll scatter the audience's attention!'

On the big screen, after the great witches' meeting concluded, Zhang Guoli, who played the great witch Xiangliu, earnestly told Houyi, 'Given this situation, I'm most worried about you—Chang'e is our witch tribe's first beauty; if one day those fellows see her, disaster will surely follow! When you return, you must tell Chang'e not to show herself in the near future, to endure a while; once the ancestral witches return, everything will be fine.'

(End of chapter)