Chapter 778: Riding a Donkey on a Fragrant Grass Path
The Yuan Realm's seal was broken, and Yan Kang was also affected. Yan Kang's mountains and rivers unfolded like a folding fan, extending in all directions.
All the former urban transportation routes were severed. The distance between cities was now tens of thousands of miles, with many ancient ruins in between, filled with dangers. Even deities had to proceed with extreme caution to travel from one city to another.
The Primordial Spirit meetings were also interrupted, because the Yuan Realm contained too many dangers. Many ruins were filled with residual divine abilities left over from ancient times. If a Primordial Spirit was not careful, it would be injured by those residual abilities and be utterly destroyed.
Land transportation was cut off, air transportation was also cut off, and now even the Primordial Spirit meetings could not be used. Just as Martial Combat Heavenly Master had predicted, Emperor Yan Feng's rule over the empire had dropped to freezing point.
The capital city was in chaos. Emperor Yan Feng made a prompt decision, ordering the Yan Kang deities to go to the major cities to first stabilize the people's hearts.
Meanwhile, in the capital, a strange man draped in a black cloak arrived at the residence of Khan Luan Di.
"Khan Luan Di, the eagle of the grasslands, now that you have become a deity, are you willing to continue being a subject of Yan Kang?" the man said to him.
Khan Luan Di looked at the man and said, "The grasslands are already territory of the Yan Kang Kingdom. I was defeated by the Yan Kang National Teacher and willingly submit to him. As long as the Yan Kang National Teacher lives, I will not rebel."
The man lifted his cloak, smiled, and said, "The Yan Kang National Teacher is doomed to die. The people of the grasslands are a hybrid of humans and deities, descendants of the Great Black Heaven. What ability does Emperor Yan Feng have to make you his subject? The grasslands belong to the Great Black Heaven. Now that the Yuan Realm's seal is broken, the Great Black Heaven will surely make a comeback. Why should you remain a subject? To contend for the world, to contend for the throne, is within reach!"
Khan Luan Di looked at the man's face, stunned. He saw the man lift his cloak, revealing a black sun emerging behind his head, while his skin was a brilliant golden color!
This deity smiled and said, "Khan Luan Di, will you stay in Yan Kang as a subject, or return to the grasslands to continue being an eagle soaring and contending with heroes?"
Khan Luan Di's spirits lifted greatly, and he said in a deep voice, "My wife and children are in the capital. If I return to the grasslands to rebuild the empire, they will surely be harmed!"
The black sun deity laughed and said, "As long as you live, you can have as many wives and children as you want. If you cling to your wife and children, you will lose this opportunity. I will find someone else!"
Khan Luan Di finally made his decision and said resolutely, "Then let's leave the capital now!"
The black sun deity covered his head with his cloak and walked out of the Khan's residence with him. The two headed toward the city gates, when they saw a young boy approaching from the opposite direction.
The boy saw them, stopped to look, and suddenly said, "Luan Di, where are you going?"
The boy was accompanied by several three-headed, six-armed deities and demons, whose auras were extremely powerful.
Khan Luan Di felt a chill upon seeing those three-headed, six-armed deities and demons. He did not hide his intentions and said, "I plan to return to the grasslands."
"The grasslands are a lost cause."
The boy said, "Now the world is in upheaval, half-deities are everywhere, various ruins and various deities and demons are stirring. If you return to the grasslands, you will accomplish little and will instead plunge the grassland people into danger, risking the extinction of your tribe. You gave birth to me, so I am reminding you."
Khan Luan Di sneered and said, "Back then, you almost poisoned all the grassland people to death, and you still have the nerve to talk about plunging the grassland people into danger? You and I have long severed ties. If you still care about blood relations, then don't block my way!"
The boy frowned slightly, stepped aside to let him pass, and said, "Don't forget, it was the First Ancestor who saved our ancestors."
Khan Luan Di hesitated for a moment but still gritted his teeth and walked past him.
The black sun deity looked back at the boy and said in a low voice, "Who is that? I can sense the bloodline of the Great Black Heaven on him."
"The Great Venerable of the Loulan Golden Palace, who possessed my son Ban Gongcuo. He is now at the Divine Bridge realm."
Khan Luan Di said, "Although he is related to me by blood and counts as my son, he has already defected to the remnants of the Chi Ming clan. He won't come back to help me. Let's leave quickly. There are many experts in the city, including several terrifying deities and demons guarding it!"
The two left the capital and immediately flew away.
Ban Gongcuo and the several three-headed, six-armed deities continued forward, arriving at the imperial city within the capital. They saw a small black tiger, as nimble as a civet cat, leaping along the eaves and walls, followed by a white fox hopping along the palace walls, chasing after the little black tiger.
"Tiger Venerable, Miss Ling."
Ban Gongcuo stopped and said, "Are Woodcutter Saint and Sect Leader Qin present?"
The small, cat-like tiger stopped, sat on the palace wall, and said, "Ban Gongcuo? And a few friends from the South Sea. The world is in chaos; aren't you taking advantage of Yan Kang's weakness to plunder territory?"
The white fox also stopped, transforming into a little girl of seven or eight years old, unable to hide her seven tails behind her. She said, "Great Venerable, you used to flee in panic whenever you saw the young master. Why are you now seeking him out voluntarily?"
Ban Gongcuo smiled and said, "Yan Kang is currently too busy to take care of itself, and the South Sea is the same. Therefore, the Chi Ming Divine Son has projected his incarnation and invites Woodcutter Saint and Sect Leader Qin to the South Sea for a discussion."
The white fox said, "The young master is not here. Is the Chi Ming Divine Son projecting his incarnation or descending in person to the South Sea? Great Venerable, your words are not truthful."
Ban Gongcuo smiled slightly and did not respond.
"Woodcutter Master, the National Teacher, and the Emperor are building a large teleportation array to connect the various regions."
The little black tiger shook its body, transforming into a ten-foot-long black tiger, and said, "Follow me!"
The little girl jumped onto the tiger's back. The black tiger leaped away, and Ban Gongcuo followed them. They arrived at the palace, where the black tiger stopped. They saw many craftsmen, led by the mute, building a huge portal. Woodcutter Saint, the National Teacher, and the Emperor were also there, calculating the numbers.
"Ban Gongcuo, on the orders of the Chi Ming Divine Son, comes to pay respects."
Ban Gongcuo and the several deities bowed, then straightened up and said, "The large teleportation arrays are distributed in each city, allowing soldiers and civilians to travel between cities. However, the daily consumption of medicinal stones is incalculable. Moreover, if someone rebels, shutting down the large teleportation arrays would leave Your Majesty helpless. Why does Your Majesty bother with such useless effort?"
Emperor Yan Feng wiped the sweat from his face, looked at him, and said, "Great Venerable, what is your wise opinion?"
"I have no wise opinion, but the Chi Ming Divine Son does."
Ban Gongcuo smiled and said, "The Divine Son has already projected his incarnation to the South Sea. He invites you all to go and discuss matters."
The Yan Kang National Teacher swept his gaze over and said, "The Chi Ming Divine Son wants to take advantage of the chaos? If he wants to take advantage, then he should descend in person, not just project an incarnation."
Ban Gongcuo laughed heartily and said, "Now that Yan Kang is fragmented, it must rely on the Chi Ming Divine Clan to survive in this chaotic world. This is not taking advantage of the chaos, but guiding the situation."
"The Chi Ming Divine Son wants to talk. I'll go talk to him."
Suddenly, a deep voice came from the sky. Everyone looked up and saw an old ox carrying an old farmer descending from the heavens.
Woodcutter Saint was both surprised and delighted. He was about to speak when the old farmer glanced at him and clenched his fist.
Woodcutter Saint quickly shut his mouth.
The old farmer glanced at the Great Venerable and said, "Let's go. To the South Sea, to meet this Chi Ming Divine Son!"
Ban Gongcuo smiled and said, "Old man, can you make the decision?"
The old farmer was furious. A series of booming explosions rang out as the old man's divine treasures unfolded behind him: the Spiritual Embryo, Five Luminaries, Six Harmonies, Seven Stars, Heavenly Human, Life and Death—all laid out in a row, except for the Divine Bridge divine treasure.
Above the six divine treasures, a heavenly palace emerged. A path passed through the Southern Heavenly Gate, crossed the Jade Terrace, traversed the Jade Sea, crossed the Deity Execution Platform, passed through the Jade Capital City, and arrived at the Lingxiao Hall.
The doors of the Lingxiao Hall were wide open. A Primordial Spirit suddenly rose from the throne, and the majesty of heaven spread, roaring, "Do you think I can make the decision?"
Ban Gongcuo's hair stood on end. With a bang, he turned into a wisp of black smoke and fled, hiding outside the capital. After a while, he cautiously returned, bowed, and said, "Senior, please!"
At the Great Thunderclap Monastery, on the Golden Summit of Mount Sumeru, Horse Tathagata and the monks were sitting solemnly. Suddenly, he stood up and said, "A Buddha has arrived. Come with me to welcome him."
The monks hurried down the mountain and saw a young Buddha walking barefoot.
Horse Tathagata greeted him, saying, "Greetings, Brother Indra Heavenly King Buddha."
The monks all bowed and said, "Buddha!"
"In the Buddhist sect, there is no need for such formalities. I was once the Tathagata of the Great Thunderclap Monastery. You may call me senior brother."
Indra Heavenly King Buddha ascended Mount Sumeru and looked up. He saw the Twenty Heavens of Buddhism built against Mount Sumeru. Now, Mount Sumeru was immeasurably high, with each heaven towering above, still separated by world barriers, not yet fully connected to the Yuan Realm.
"The Old Buddha still refuses to let the Buddhist realm enter the mortal world. Unfortunately, the Heavenly Court will not tolerate him."
Indra Heavenly King Buddha said, "The world is about to fall into chaos. Tathagata, do you have any plans?"
Horse Tathagata said, "If we can fight, we fight. If we can't, we run."
"That's the principle!"
Indra Heavenly King Buddha clapped his hands and laughed heartily: "I was worried you were ready to fight to the death. Hearing you say that, I am relieved."
Just then, light swirled within the Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist realm. A man as dark as an iron tower and a young monk descended from the sky. Their cultivation was very deep, surpassing the other monks. They were the Demon Ape Zhan Kong and Monk Ming Xin.
"Tathagata, we have obtained the true scriptures," Monk Ming Xin bowed.
Indra Heavenly King Buddha looked up at the Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist realm and said in a low voice, "You have returned, which means the Old Buddha has awakened and knows what has happened here."
His expression was grave.
The Old Buddha's awakening showed the seriousness of the situation.
In the Brahma Heaven Realm.
The Buddhas came here, seeking an audience with Brahma Heavenly King Buddha. They arrived at the dilapidated monastery but found no trace of Brahma Heavenly King Buddha, only a young novice monk.
The young novice monk said, "The Old Buddha woke up and left, saying he was going to find an old friend."
"Brother, this elixir tastes good!"
In the Yuan Realm, Yu Tianzun tasted the elixir that Qin Mu had refined for the Water Qilin. The taste was surprisingly good, so he ate a few more pills and praised, "Really delicious!"
Qin Mu laughed in exasperation: "Those aren't for you! Those elixirs are for half-deities, to help them grow. Although humans can also take elixirs, it will cause an imbalance in the attributes of their primal energy, which is very dangerous!"
Yu Tianzun quickly stopped.
Qin Mu shook his head, thinking to himself: "Yu Tianzun can't control his desires. He'll end up as a chubby little boy sooner or later. A big, fat Water Qilin carrying a chubby little Yu Tianzun on its back... just thinking about it..."
He taught Yu Tianzun how to refine elixirs. Yu Tianzun learned quickly, but his control over primal energy was insufficient. The furnace exploded several times, leaving him covered in black soot.
Qin Mu didn't mind. Back when he had studied alchemy with Medicine Master, he had also caused countless explosions.
Half-deities kept arriving from all over the Yuan Realm. They sensed the call of Earth Mother Yuan Jun and rushed in one direction. Qin Mu's expression grew increasingly grave. The number of half-deities in the Yuan Realm was enormous. Clearly, Earth Mother Yuan Jun was not the only one who had been buried and sealed along with her in that era.
"The era of the Supreme Emperor was the longest era after the Dragon Han era. Its mysteries are no less than those of the Dragon Han era."
Finally, they arrived at a vast, boundless ancient battlefield. Before Qin Mu could take a good look, he heard a loud "hee-haw" coming from behind them, quite piercing.
"Are there donkey half-deities too?"
Qin Mu was surprised. He turned to look and saw a gray, long-eared donkey carrying a young scholar, swaying as it walked toward them.
The young scholar wore a feather fan and a silk headband, looking quite dashing. He sat sideways on the donkey's back, holding a fishing rod in his other hand. A carrot was tied to the fishing line, dangling in front of the donkey.
The donkey stared at the carrot, not looking at the road ahead. It walked forward, one step high, one step low, letting out "hee-haw" sounds, unwilling to accept that it couldn't eat the carrot.
"One spring, ten illnesses, nine from wine; in three months, not two sunny days. Tomorrow, riding a donkey on the fragrant grass path, deep in the green willows, listening to the orioles sing."
The scholar chanted a poem and sang. The donkey swayed as it passed by Qin Mu and the others.
Qin Mu looked at the scholar. He saw that the man had delicate eyebrows and eyes like swirling stars, with a compelling heroic aura, but also a hint of melancholy.
"My friend."
Qin Mu cupped his hands and smiled, "My friend, where are you headed?"
— Argentina, damn it! (What resentment does this "damn it" express from the author? Please write a thousand-word essay.)