Chapter 490: Transformation and Liberation

The Great Change in the Mountains and Seas Realm left Yuan Hong fortunate to survive, yet he was gravely wounded.

Compared to the current Five Directional Heavenly Emperors, who are barely clinging to life with their coffin lids about to close, Yuan Hong's coffin lid is already half shut.

In his desperate state, Yuan Hong sought to heal quickly and restore his strength by accepting the power of incense and embarking on the divine path.

Of course, Yuan Hong himself had virtually no incense power to speak of.

In this world, a large portion was once Yang Jian's domain—Guanjiangkou.

The Seven Sages of Mei Mountain were at least somewhat known to the common folk.

But Yang Jian himself cared little for incense power; the Temple of the Manifest Sage True Lord in Guanjiangkou was built spontaneously by the people—Yang Jian often undertook demon-slaying and evil-vanquishing deeds.

Naturally, the Seven Sages of Mei Mountain would have no temples.

The only incense power currently available is that of the Manifest Sage True Lord.

The only option before Yuan Hong was clear: he would usurp the magpie's nest, become Yang Jian, and become the Manifest Sage True Lord.

When he accepted this portion of incense power, he also became the Manifest Sage True Lord.

At first, Yuan Hong did well—he healed his wounds through incense power while remaining lucid, knowing he was Yuan Hong.

Yet the incense power required to heal his wounds was not insignificant.

To continue, Yuan Hong needed even more incense power.

Thus, he began frequently manifesting spirits under the identity of the Manifest Sage True Lord.

Here, Yuan Hong kept one eye open, striving to separate himself from Yang Jian, endeavoring to divide the name "Yang Jian" from the title "Manifest Sage True Lord."

One day, he hoped to form the situation of "Manifest Sage True Lord·Yuan Hong."

Hence, in the current portraits, only the Manifest Sage True Lord appears, but without his name taboo.

To speak frankly, Yuan Hong's various actions and choices contain an element of fighting spirit.

Back then, when Yang Jian defeated him, though he temporarily submitted to Yang Jian's command, in his heart he still regarded Yang Jian as a rival.

Yang Jian sparing Yuan Hong's life also carried this meaning—I await your coming to defeat me.

Alas, in the countless challenges that followed, Yuan Hong not only lost every time to Yang Jian, but the gap between them even widened gradually.

Yuan Hong wanted to prove he could defeat Yang Jian and would not forever remain a defeated subordinate.

What he lost back then, he would seek an opportunity to reclaim!

Replacing Yang Jian, transforming from Manifest Sage True Lord·Yang Jian to Manifest Sage True Lord·Yuan Hong, was also a method.

Yet things did not proceed as smoothly as Yuan Hong had anticipated.

As he continually manifested spirits, the incense power of the Manifest Sage True Lord grew stronger, and Yuan Hong's susceptibility to its influence increased.

Yuan Hong himself harbored deep obsession—defeating Yang Jian, catching up to Yang Jian, following Yang Jian, becoming Yang Jian.

He gradually could no longer distinguish between these thoughts.

The forefront began slowly turning toward the rear.

At this time, the Six Brothers of Mei Mountain emerged.

In the Great Change, Jin Dasheng fared best, suffering the lightest injuries.

The other five were severely wounded.

Jin Dasheng conceived the idea of becoming the eldest, even… but unfortunately, his crude execution led to him being gravely wounded by the other five joining forces, and he barely escaped.

The other five felt the situation was wrong and urgently needed to heal—relying solely on secluded cultivation would not suffice.

Leaving their secluded abode, they encountered Yuan Hong in his difficult phase.

Yuan Hong's behavior offered them a new idea—likewise taking up the divine path.

However, the Five Directional Heavenly Emperors avoided repeating mistakes, making various modifications and adjustments, crafting for themselves the identity of Five Directional Heavenly Emperors.

At that time, Yuan Hong was already top-heavy and unable to dismount the tiger—he did not mind Wu Long and these latercomers surpassing him, and even actively helped.

It was then that the basic framework of the Five Directional Heavenly Emperors, with the Manifest Sage True Lord as supreme, was formed.

Later, they discovered the heavily wounded, near-death Third Holy Mother Yang Chan, sustained by the Precious Lotus Lantern.

At that time, aside from Yuan Hong's desire to replace her, the Five Directional Heavenly Emperors harbored no intention of betraying Yang Jian.

They also wished to aid the injured Third Princess.

The simplest and most effective method was to actively share incense power to help Yang Chan heal.

This choice also involved private motives among the five.

Now Yang Jian's whereabouts are unknown, but everyone believes that with the "Lord Above's" ability, a sovereign's return is inevitable.

Part of this world's region is the original Guanjiangkou, considered Yang Jian's "domain."

Yet Yang Jian dislikes this divine path business; they now walk the divine path, but if one day Yang Jian appears, he will declare no personal deity worship, and have me tear down all temples.

Would not the Five Directional Heavenly Emperors then be left helpless on the spot?

Dragging Yang Chan into the water, making everyone grasshoppers on the same rope, is the safest course.

Several also did not establish any temple for Yang Chan, merely generously sharing incense power with her.

And the comatose, heavily wounded Yang Chan, likewise developed problems due to incense power.

Unlike Yuan Hong's gradual inability to distinguish "Who am I? Am I Yuan Hong or Yang Jian?"

Yang Chan was "contaminated" by incense power.

Incense power is also the vow power of all beings—countless people's various thoughts and ideas, in the unseen, form a considerable force.

But this force is not "pure," entirely harmless.

Since incense power can gradually cause Yuan Hong to lose himself, it naturally affects Yang Chan as well.

If Yang Chan were in a normal state at that time, she would naturally occasionally retreat into secluded cultivation, gradually clearing away those scattered and distracting thoughts, accumulating little by little until they would affect her own mind.

The Five Directional Heavenly Emperors are thus—though their incense power is strong, it does not cause them to lose themselves.

But Yang Chan is not—she, gravely wounded and sustained by the Precious Lotus Lantern, unconsciously and passively accepts everything.

Good thoughts, evil thoughts, stray thoughts, the myriad forms of the mortal world, endlessly rising and falling... sinking into depravity.

While Yang Chan was healing from her injuries, still unconscious, the Yellow Emperor followed the same old path as Jin Dasheng, turning on his companions.

However, the target of his attack was not the other four, but Yuan Hong.

Yang Jian could be overlooked, but Yuan Hong was never "of the same path" as them to begin with; otherwise, there would not be the title of "Six Brothers."

When they swore brotherhood, they did not count Yuan Hong among them.

On what grounds does Yuan Hong press down above their heads?

I, the Yellow Emperor, as the Emperor of the Center, taking his place to become the strongest — there is nothing wrong with that, right?

So the Yellow Emperor, Zhu Zizhen, made a move on Yuan Hong, but the result was not what Zhu Zizhen envisioned: he started it, and the remaining four all joined in together.

The other four watched with cold eyes from the sidelines.

In the end, Yuan Hong completely lost himself, becoming this world's "Manifested Sage True Lord · Yang Jian," forgetting many things, and self-rationalizing that he was injured and had no choice but to borrow incense power to heal.

Afterwards, unwilling to walk the Divine Path, he merely hung up a portrait to maintain appearances perfunctorily.

He stayed in seclusion year-round, ignoring worldly affairs.

Perhaps, in the deepest instincts, he also wanted to walk out of "obsession" through this method.

The Yellow Emperor suffered severe damage, and a portion of his territory was divided up by a few good brothers, making him the weakest of the Five Directional Emperors.

The Manifested Sage True Lord had the name without the substance, did not involve himself in worldly affairs; for the Five Directional Emperors, this was naturally a good thing.

They likewise maintained the portrait, continuing to use incense power to "trap" Yuan Hong, waiting for the critical moment when he could again become a crucial combat asset.

Yuan Hong after becoming Yang Jian was far stronger than them.

Later, Yang Chan awoke, her personality gradually changing, her actions becoming increasingly willful and unbridled.

The Five Directional Emperors deeply felt Yang Chan was trouble, secretly stirring up trouble continuously, pushing Yang Chan forward, twisting the originally quite intimate, dependent sibling bond into an abnormal desire to possess.

The subsequent events need not be elaborated.

The greatly changed Yang Chan stirred up trouble, successfully ensnaring Yuan Hong who was playing Yang Jian, making him stay by her side constantly.

The two became shackles to each other, and also trump cards.

The Five Directional Emperors finally became the rulers of this heaven and earth, deliberately leaving behind a Jin Dasheng to lead monsters as their enemies.

To ensure the flourishing of incense power.

After all, the existence of an external enemy and the absence of an external threat are completely different situations.

Jin Dasheng was also unwilling to accept this, secretly wanting to cultivate Liu Chenxiang to turn the tables — he truly believed Liu Chenxiang was the son of Yang Jian and his sister, and did not know about Yuan Hong.

The matter of Liu Yanchang being a tool, Jin Dasheng had naturally seen through long ago.

All circumstances were thus, several hundred years of surface stability.

Until one day, Tang Xuanzang and his disciples suddenly appeared in this realm.

Holy Monk Xuanzang struck the head and shouted, converting Yuan Hong, letting him truly wake up.

But this also came at a cost; Yuan Hong, heavily injured and awake, could not live, he was at death's door.

"I am not convinced..."

Yuan Hong raised his head to look at the sky, as if he saw Yang Jian's face there, "I will not, I do not want to lose to you, why, must I always live under your shadow."

"Yang Jian!"

Yuan Hong used all his strength, suddenly reaching out, grasping at the sky, as if to seize that invisible phantom.

His palm closed emptily, ultimately not fully clenching, dropping to the ground.

"Well said." Tang Luo shook his head, looking at Yang Chan, "Gather your spirit and calm your breath, guard your heart and mind, I will heal you."

The Merit Jade Lotus hovered above Yang Chan's head.

Just now Yuan Hong had already spoken part of the matter.

For example, his loss of self, and Yang Chan's various circumstances; as for Jin Dasheng and the rest, which he did not know, he had no way to tell.

"No."

Yang Chan shook her head, the Baolian Lamp's phantom appearing, actively pushing away the Merit Jade Lotus.

She already had the will to die.

"If you die like this, how will I explain to Yang Jian when I see him later?" Tang Luo said.

Watching Yang Chan die right before my eyes, how can I be righteous and confident when fighting Yang Jian afterwards?

"Big Brother Xuanzang." Yang Chan smiled, her pale face suddenly blooming with radiant brilliance, "My business, don't you meddle!"

The latter half was completely different from the front.

Tang Luo frowned.

Zhu Bajie and Ao Yulie fell silent; Yang Chan's situation was actually the same as Sha Wujing's, both were obsession, unable to attain liberation.

And with incense power entwining her, she did not even have the chance to "reincarnate" as an artifact spirit like Sha Wujing.

Either live willfully like this, or... just like her current choice.

"Whine..."

The Howling Celestial Dog, who had been sleeping, suddenly opened its eyes, jumped before Yang Chan, and climbed up along her legs.

Movements swift, in a moment it had climbed onto Yang Chan.

Yang Chan picked up the Howling Celestial Dog, holding it before her eyes to examine it.

The Howling Celestial Dog stuck out its tongue, licking Yang Chan's face.

Yang Chan laughed: "I said it, that dog was fake, not my Howling Celestial Dog, this one is the real one."

"Woof! Woof woof woof!"

The Howling Celestial Dog barked loudly, struggling.

"Alright, behave and follow Big Brother Xuanzang, in the future find Big Brother, tell him: Little Chan wants to cling to him for a lifetime." Yang Chan put the Howling Celestial Dog down, looking at Tang Luo again, "Big Brother Xuanzang, remember to help me convert those guys too, absolutely cannot let them off."

"Leave it to your son," Tang Luo said.

Yang Chan glanced at Liu Chenxiang; Liu Chenxiang looked at her expressionlessly: "I have an axe."

"This dead man's face does look a bit like Big Brother's." Yang Chan suddenly laughed, her figure beginning to fade.

Star-like points of light drifted continuously from her body.

"Awoo~"

Xiaotian Dog raised his head and let out a long howl.

"Amitabha."

The three of Tang Luo pressed their palms together and closed their eyes.