Chapter 690: The Times Have Changed, Holy Monk

Originally, they only knew the location, but still had to search for it.

Now, with Chen Qi of the Heng Ha Two Generals acting as a guide, it saved Ao Yu Lie the trouble.

Several people entered Chen Qi's spacious carriage, and wherever their feet stepped were extremely soft cushions.

One could see thin curtains hanging, behind which many graceful figures appeared and disappeared faintly.

"You sure know how to enjoy yourself."

Zhu Bajie glanced over and said.

"Hmph." The Silent Sound God King chuckled lightly, "Please, have a seat, everyone."

There were no chairs here either; one could just find any spot to sit.

After everyone sat cross-legged, the Silent Sound God King asked: "Holy Monk, do you know about the great upheaval in the Mountain-Sea Realm?"

"The Mountain-Sea Realm shattered." Tang Luo said, "This world should also be a fragment formed from the Mountain-Sea Realm."

The Silent Sound God King nodded: "Indeed, with the Holy Monk's abilities, you must certainly know. Then the Holy Monk should also know that the outside world is now in utter chaos, more dangerous than the Nine Heavens above or the endless depths of the sea."

"Hmm." Tang Luo knew what the Silent Sound God King was about to ask, "We came from another world."

"Indeed!"

The Silent Sound God King affirmed in his heart.

The Heavenly Gods have ruled over one realm for many years, and most of this realm's territory has already been explored.

The remaining few places are also of no great consequence.

The Silent Sound God King did not believe Tang Xuanzang would bring his few disciples to hide somewhere, only to suddenly jump out at this moment.

The other party is very likely from a world formed by another fragment of the Mountain-Sea Realm.

Now Tang Luo has confirmed what the Silent Sound God King had suspected.

"No wonder you're the Holy Monk." The Silent Sound God King praised, "Capable of doing what ordinary people find difficult."

Listening to it, he seemed not very interested in how Tang Luo and the others came here.

The Silent Sound God King lives very comfortably here, and does not really miss the outside world.

It's just a slightly smaller Mountain-Sea Realm, after all.

As for the size of the Mountain-Sea Realm, it actually means little to the vast majority of people.

Because it's too vast.

Even for heavenly immortals and Buddhist high monks, their normal range of activity is not very large.

The world is so vast; I want to go see it, I could look for a very long time, even for a lifetime.

This applies to ordinary people in the real world, as well as cultivators in the Mountain-Sea Realm.

As for mortals, there's no need to say more.

The Mountain-Sea Realm is a cultivation civilization world where power returns to oneself, with a high ceiling and a floor of agrarian society.

For countless years, there has been no industrial revolution.

Many mortals' means of transportation is just the "Eleventh Route Vehicle," relying on two legs to measure the ground, and they may not even be able to traverse their mortal homeland in a lifetime.

This world is also quite vast.

At least for the Silent Sound God King, it is more than sufficient.

"Not bad." Tang Luo gave a perfunctory reply, "From your tone, you don't know there's another Five Finger Mountain?"

The Silent Sound God King said: "In this world, I only know of one Five Finger Mountain."

"Oh, besides you, are there other former Mountain-Sea Realm acquaintances who became heavenly gods?" Tang Luo asked.

The Silent Sound God King nodded: "Yes, but those are just things blown away by the wind now. If they are unwilling, I cannot well overstep and reveal their identities to the Holy Monk."

"Is that so?" Zhu Bajie said, "You must really dislike your former identities."

The Heng Ha Two Generals in the Heavenly Court are divine generals, and their status and position are not low either.

The Silent Sound God King smiled without speaking, giving off an air of "you don't understand."

After chatting a bit more, the Silent Sound God King stood up and said: "Please rest for a while, everyone. When I reach the Divine Realm, I will inform you."

The implication is that he will no longer continue sitting to entertain them.

After saying that, he did not wait for Tang Luo and the others to say anything, and turned to go to the other side of the thin curtain.

Inside, several figures immediately entwined themselves, as if boneless.

However, no sound came out.

Ao Yu Lie had not the slightest improper thought about not looking at what should not be seen; he stared for a while, found it boring, and simply lay down.

Tang Luo sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and simply began to cultivate and regulate his breath.

Zhu Bajie also closed his eyes to cultivate.

Ao Yu Lie changed his posture; although still lying down, he also entered a cultivation state.

For a moment, the carriage interior was extremely quiet.

Inside the curtain, the Silent Sound God King naturally did not engage in reckless behavior, merely enjoying the soft human body as a backrest, his gaze fixed on Tang Luo and the others.

Enemy, passerby.

Survival, death—after reaching the Divine Realm, it will no longer be up to this group of arrogant master and disciples to make choices.

The corner of his mouth twitched up imperceptibly; the Silent Sound God King simply closed his eyes.

"Master, you said how did they suddenly transform into heavenly gods?"

On the surface, everyone had already begun cultivating.

Actually, while cultivating to heal injuries, several people were also chatting amidst the gray mist.

"Perhaps related to crystal ores." Tang Luo guessed.

"That thing really is useful." Zhu Bajie said, "We just didn't find it."

He had indeed always been thinking about how to put the crystal ore to use.

For instance, integrating it into spirit treasures or weapons — unfortunately, too little was utterly useless, and too much would cost him a hundred million right off the bat.

It simply could not achieve the effect of harming others.

Moreover, the crystal ore wasn't hard enough either; it did have a weakening effect against Qi Refiners.

But if truly smelted into a spirit treasure or weapon, it would lower the spirit treasure or weapon's strength.

Zhu Bajie did have a wild idea — simply give the Vajra Pure Garment some, yes, put some crystal ore onto Sha Wujing.

That had problems too, though.

Namely, a sufficient quantity was needed before Sha Wujing could exert a weakening effect on Qi Refiners.

To achieve the effect, Sha Wujing would have to manifest at a height of at least over twenty meters.

Furthermore, he could only maintain that form constantly, unable to even fly; aside from the weakening ability, all other capabilities could be said to have vanished completely — the loss outweighed the gain.

Tang Luo, for his part, was rather uninterested in the crystal ore.

That Neng Ao Sword could walk a crooked path and forge a road — the biggest reason was naturally not the crookedness, but the single-minded focus.

Cultivation knows no sun or moon; who knew how long had passed — the carriage, steady as if frozen still, gave a slight shudder.

Tang Luo and his colleagues opened their eyes.

The Silent God King also rose, lifted the curtain, and walked out.

The several of them walked out of the carriage; outside lay the Divine Realm of the Heavenly Gods.

Specifically, a large circular bay indented into the land; the sea surface at the very bottom was not calm, but rather waves crashed against the shore, rolling up layers of white spray.

Within the bay were several islands.

They were the living grounds of the Divine Soldiers, and the "Beast Garden".

Additionally, a full twenty-two sky-piercing giant pillars rose from the seabed, soaring straight into the clouds.

The pillar tops were flat immortal platforms, the residences of the Three Divine Lords, Six God Kings, and Twelve Divine Generals; along the pillars' edges, stairways connected the islands spiraling upward.

Many figures could be seen carrying things on the stairways, walking amid the howling wind.

Those were Divine Slaves, the lowest stratum of people in the Divine Realm.

Generation after generation they served the Heavenly Gods; their strength and bodies surpassed ordinary people, but fell short of Divine Soldiers.

They bore the name "slave", yet their lot was somewhat better than slaves — work hard, and they could marry and have children, at least gaining a life of hardship but stability.

Unlike many mortal slaves, living hand to mouth.

And if granted favor by a Heavenly God (Divine General and above), they could shed the status of Divine Slave and become a Divine Soldier.

Although this probability was very, very small, it at least gave a hope to look forward to.

Not a case of slave for a day, slave for life.

Many Divine Slaves worked wholeheartedly, giving their all; even if they themselves had no hope, if a Heavenly God kept them in mind, by the second or third generation they could turn from Divine Slaves into Divine Soldiers, no?

Rumor had it that among the Divine Soldiers were some whose ancestors had once been Divine Slaves.

Of course, just rumors — words spoken behind closed doors, absolutely not to be spread outside — though they had obviously already spread.

Twenty-one sky-piercing giant pillars; the Twelve Divine Generals' pillars were the outermost, the God Kings' pillars further in.

Inside were the Divine Lords' pillars, but the very center was not the Three Divine Lords' pillars — instead, an incomparably magnificent palace.

Pointed at the bottom, flat on top, like an upside-down high mountain.

From the Divine Generals' pillars and God Kings' pillars extended eighteen incomparably massive chains, suspending that "Sage Palace" in the high sky.

It had to be lower than the Divine Lords' pillars, higher than the God Kings' pillars.

Inside the Sage Palace dwelled numerous Heavenly God Sages, all elders who had stepped down from the positions of Divine General and God King.

Numbering nearly a hundred.

There was also another palace, opened only when major events occurred.

Equivalent to the Heavenly Gods' "conference room".

By the way, although the "Heavenly God Sages" numbered nearly a hundred, not every God King and Divine General had been replaced.

Among the God Kings, three Heavenly Gods had steadily occupied the God King positions all along.

Among the Divine Generals, two had also continuously held the Divine General positions, never replaced.

Walking out of the carriage, Tang Luo looked toward the Sage Palace in the sky: "Where is the Heavenly Trend Divine Lord?"

"No."

The Silent God King said, "That is the Sage Palace. The three Divine Lord Halls — the Heavenly Trend Divine Lord's whereabouts are secretive; I'm not certain if he's in the Heavenly Trend Hall. However, the matter of the Holy Monk's arrival has been conveyed; once the Heavenly Trend Divine Lord knows, he should grant the Holy Monk an audience. The Holy Monk may rest in my Silent Hall and wait for the Heavenly Trend Divine Lord's summons."

"Who exactly is he? How come the pomp feels even bigger than the Buddha's?" Ao Yulie sneered.

With Tang Luo's status, seeing the Tathagata was also a direct approach — at most having Ananda, Kashyapa, or a fake little novice report it.

"Heh." The Silent God King also laughed, with a touch of mockery, "Times have changed, Holy Monk."

Though spoken by Ao Yulie, the Silent God King addressed Tang Luo, the backbone.

Clinging to the past, still truly thinking you're that Victory Fighting Buddha?

This isn't the Mountains and Seas World, let alone Spirit Mountain's Great Thunderclap Temple, the Heavenly Court.

This is a brand new world, one born from the Mountains and Seas World, yet even more profound and mysterious.

The location is the Heavenly Gods' Divine Realm!

"Oh?"

Tang Luo looked at the Silent God King.

Swept by Tang Luo's glance, the Silent God King's heart gave a violent jump, his face instantly turning slightly gloomy: "Holy Monk, since you've arrived, I won't waste words. Just one question for the Holy Monk — are you enemy, or friend?"

"If friend, then what?" Tang Luo asked.

"If friend, the Holy Monk may put forward any requests; on account of past ties, we'll consider the circumstances and fulfill them for the Holy Monk."

The Soundless God King said, "Just the Holy Monk should understand, you are a guest, killing the host—this kind of thing cannot be done twice, no, even hurting people is not allowed."

"As an enemy?" Tang Luo asked again.

"As an enemy." The Soundless God King's face showed a hint of a ferocious smile, "Then the Five Finger Mountain, what does the Holy Monk think of it?"