Chapter 88 Blasphemy 37. (The End) (Two-in-One) (6k...)

Above and below heaven and earth, the clouds dispersed and the mist cleared, and the vast and ethereal voice of the blue Dharma image filled the space, causing illusory black and white energies and seven-colored rays of light to gradually rise across the sky and the land.

Humanity is like this: it is never perfect, but it has its own path.

In a fleeting moment, Chu Shenxiang seemed to hear the sounds of statues shattering and collapsing, rising from Yangcheng and spreading towards Xiling, Beizhu, and the entire Nine Provinces, gently and slowly, yet vast and mighty.

Chu Shenxiang knew that for Chao He to spread the cultivation method for mortals throughout the world was tantamount to declaring war on all the gods of the Nine Provinces.

In the future, both he and the mortals of this world will face the enmity of all the gods.

Therefore, in this transmission of the Dharma, besides gathering the fragments of the divine images of the gods and demons who died here and transforming them into golden rain, sprinkling it upon the five kingdoms, he also used his own divine power and pure energy, striving to enlighten all mortals with this single act. Only in this way could they be able to deal with the impending hostility of the gods and demons.

By the end of this transmission of the Dharma, Chu Shenxiang had exhausted all her divine power.

Seeing that everyone inside and outside the battlefield was still immersed in transmitting the Dharma, he left a Dharma image and divine sound in place, and secretly took a step, preparing to return with Shen Mingxin first.

He has done all he could; the rest is for others to do, and it's not his concern anymore.

Chu Shenxiang's expression softened slightly, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.

For the first time in over two hundred years since he came into this world, he felt genuinely relaxed and at ease.

As if in an instant, the lingering incense, the faint hope, the rotting flesh, the mournful cries, the humble pleas, and the angry curses all vanished in the morning light.

The shadows have dissipated, leaving only brightness.

“I told you to eat breakfast before coming, but you insisted you had no appetite,” Chu Shenxiang said, feeling refreshed. She took a step forward, heading towards the riverbank to take Shen Mingxin’s hand. “Now that things are done, is there anything…”

However, before he could finish speaking or take a step, a hazy ray of light suddenly appeared before him, blocking his path.

Chu Shenxiang paused, her dark blue eyes slightly raised.

He sensed the undisguised aura of the Heavenly Dao within it.

At this moment, why is Heaven seeking him out to impart the Dharma? This world has clearly favored the divine path for the past two hundred years. Now, the human path is about to rise and the divine path is about to perish. Is this Heaven's unwillingness to settle scores with him, the culprit?

After a moment of contemplation, Chu Shenxiang turned her footing, avoiding the sunlight, and once again broke through space, intending to move forward.

But as soon as he took a step, his eyes were suddenly brightened again, and another ray of light fell.

Chu Shenxiang's gaze darkened slightly.

It seems that Heaven really is after him, and he can't escape it.

After a moment of contemplation, Chu Shenxiang released a divine sense, gave some instructions, and told Shen Mingxin to go back to Yu County to wait for him as soon as possible. Then, she calmly raised her eyes and stepped into the ray of light.

The surrounding scenery changed in an instant, fading into a vast, endless white illusion, as if it were clouds in the sky.

There were no other beings in the illusion, only Chu Shenxiang, and it was extremely quiet. Faintly, Chu Shenxiang sensed some kind of unseen hint, paused slightly, and stretched out her palm.

The next moment, he felt a weight in his hand, as if a book had appeared out of thin air.

Book?

Chu Shenxiang was a little surprised. She subconsciously looked down and her gaze suddenly froze.

The book's cover was simple, with only black characters on a white background, reading "The Records of Chou'er's Tent." Naturally, what astonished Chu Shenxiang was not the meaning of these five characters, but their appearance.

The strokes are simple and the shapes are regular. They are not traditional Chinese characters of this world, but simplified Chinese characters of modern society that Chu Shenxiang was once very familiar with, and they were printed out.

Chu Shenxiang was momentarily shaken, but then she vaguely guessed what was going on from the book title and the simplified Chinese characters.

Without much hesitation, he immediately scanned the book with his divine sense and read it all in an instant.

The book is titled "The Records in Chou'er's Tent," and the protagonist is naturally this Chou'er. Without a doubt, this person is Shen Chou.

The story in the book begins when Shen Chou was fourteen years old, which is twelve years ago.

Twelve years ago, Shen Chou, a displaced orphan, spent one night in an abandoned temple and unexpectedly found a strange book. From then on, he realized that the world he lived in was a restricted novel.

The protagonist of this novel is named Wang Jiu. From the very beginning, he is entangled with all sorts of people, gods, and demons. In the end, he relies on them to ascend to the path of gods and continues to sleep with even more gods and demons, living a carefree and immortal life.

Shen Chou didn't believe it at the time, but unexpectedly, he saw Wang Jiu in the temple not long after. The obsession with gods and demons and the vision of carefree immortality fueled his enormous greed. He inexplicably sneaked up behind Wang Jiu and smashed the original protagonist to death.

From then on, Shen Chou replaced Wang Jiu, and starting with Chunshan Gong, he attracted the infatuation of gods, humans, demons and monsters.

When he turned eighteen, he had the opportunity to go out and walk independently, and his yin and yang bodies had fully developed. He became even more uncontrollable, completely unrestrained, and wished he could spend every day and night in bed with someone, making love without end.

This book, "The Record of the Bedchamber," truly lives up to its name; out of 100,000 words, 90,000 are descriptions of intimate moments.

Chu Shenxiang didn't actually look at it; even a quick scan with his divine sense gave him a feeling of being corrupted. Don't misunderstand, this wasn't because he was dissatisfied with erotic texts. It's human nature to occasionally read erotic texts; right now, he simply felt disgusted by Shen Chou.

Skipping over the rather nauseating parts, Chu Shenxiang spent some time finding information about herself and Shen Mingxin.

In this book, "The Records of the Chou'er's Tent," if Chu Shenxiang had to assign roles to herself and Shen Mingxin, they would be two cannon fodder villains.

One is Shen Chou's arrogant sworn brother, who has never been close to him since childhood and only stands behind the curtain, munching on pastries and staring at him with a gloomy expression. The other is a strange and ruthless evil god who never manifests his power, but when he does, he injures Chunshan Gong with his magical powers.

The two do not have the same level of interaction in the book as they do now. They only became involved twenty years ago when Shen's mother fell off the carriage.

At that time, the small statue of Shenxiang Jun was already beginning to possess divine power. Although Chu Shenxiang herself was unaware of it, she was indeed only one step away from becoming a god. When Shen's mother was in trouble, her will to survive was too strong. She unintentionally grabbed the small statue by the roadside and was affected by that divine power, miraculously saving her life and her unborn child. It can be said that Chu Shenxiang indirectly saved Shen Mingxin's life.

Aside from that, the two were merely sworn brothers who had never met, a wild god and his not-so-devout believer, a relationship that remained unchanged until death.

On the day Shen Mingxin came of age, influenced by the incense seeds, he also came to Shenxiang Temple. However, Chu Shenxiang had not yet regained his humanity and was in a deep slumber, in a state of self-isolation, and was not awakened at all.

Shen Mingxin was frozen in the temple all night, and was only brought back the next day by Shushi Qinggui and others. Although he did not die, he fell seriously ill and could not get up, suffering terribly until the incense seed burst open, at which point he died miserably.

When Chu Shenxiang woke up, Chunshan Gong was yelling and coming to her door.

He defeated Lord Chunshan, but during his subsequent battle with Xu Ming, he lost control due to his inhumanity and mental inconsistency. He was cleaved into dust by the Sun and Moon Twin Wheels, and all the strange memories and mysterious spells remaining in his soul were collected by Shen Chou and the other two.

Without a doubt, he became the perfect stepping stone for someone to gain an unfair advantage.

Later, the three who obtained the legacy left by this time-traveling deity indeed comprehended the method of condensing pure energy and removing evil power, completely cleansing themselves of evil power and becoming compassionate deities.

They collected all the offerings from the world, leaving the other gods with no choice but to submit to them. From then on, the divine way flourished, all people worshipped them, and peace reigned throughout the land.

At the end of the book, Shenchou lies on a towering altar, mingling with the gods.

At the extreme point, His mind was filled with a clamor, and He vaguely heard some kind of report saying that there were mortals causing trouble in some places, and that the people were being unruly in others.

“There are always these ungrateful bastards. Send a few demons out to cause trouble, and they'll be quiet in a few days.”

"Bring on all those annoying things; I haven't enjoyed human sacrifice for many days."

"The Heavenly Venerable's decree is strict, so I dare not go in my true form to ask for them. I was so hungry a few days ago that I disguised myself as a demon to find two, but it has generated some evil power, which I still need to resolve..."

"These days are not as carefree as before, but they're still alright. They're much better than the pain of being plagued by evil forces..."

The voices of the gods seemed to come from near and far, deep and indistinct, but as they straightened their backs, they seemed to have entangled someone else.

A few lowly creatures, how could they possibly disturb His pleasure? He thought blankly, then plunged back into bliss, for all eternity.

Seeing this ending, Chu Shenxiang felt more disgusted than if she had swallowed a fly.

He never pursues logic in these R-rated works, but if the work becomes a world, that's a different story, especially since he himself is a part of it.

He didn't even want to hold the book anymore, and immediately withdrew his hand to clear it away with a gentle breeze.

The book was discarded, but it did not fall to the ground; instead, it floated in the air and slowly turned to the last page.

The space was originally blank, but now a line of text slowly appears.

"Chu Shenxiang, do you want to be the protagonist?"

Chu Shenxiang paused, her gaze lingering: "The Way of Heaven?"

"Yes." The text on the page changed.

Chu Shenxiang's dark blue eyes narrowed, and she asked directly, "This world is a restricted-level novel. As the Heavenly Dao, are you the author or someone who knows about it?"

"They are all." — The Book of Heaven.

This answer was not unexpected for Chu Shenxiang.

"This is an ancient world. As the Heavenly Dao here, why do you use simplified characters?" Chu Shenxiang's voice was cold and deep. "What exactly is your origin?"

The pages remained silent for a moment before new text gradually appeared: "I gained consciousness when this world was just formed, and it evolved from the book 'Jiu Jiu Sheng Xiang' with Wang Jiu as the protagonist. But the core was unstable, and the author was unknown. In order to stabilize the core, I guided a new plot in this world, which became a book called 'Chou Er Zhang Zhong Lu'."

Chu Shenxiang said, "So, now that you've come to me, do you want to kill me, go back in time, and get the plot back on track, or do you want to guide another plot and make me the new protagonist, the second Shen Chou?"

“Naturally, it will guide a new plot,” Tiandao replied, “but you are just you, a new protagonist, not a second Shenchou. You can do whatever you want, as long as you ensure that the divine way of this world prospers forever and the world is unified. I have already thought of a new title for the book, it will be called ‘The Legend of Shenxiang’.”

"It tells the story of Shen Xiangjun, a transmigrator who comes to another world and wins the hearts of the people of the Nine Provinces with the 'Refining God Dao Method,' gaining all the incense offerings and dominating the divine path."

To monopolize the offerings and dominate the divine path?

Chu Shenxiang scoffed lightly.

As if sensing Chu Shenxiang's attitude, the Heavenly Dao paused, then changed its tone again: "If you don't like this main storyline, it can be changed to your love story and intimate moments with Shen Mingxin..."

"Twelve years ago, did you also approach Shen Chou in this way?" Chu Shenxiang raised her eyes, interrupting the words of the Heavenly Dao.

“No,” Heaven replied, “Chen Chong is merely a mortal; what virtue or ability do I possess to converse with him?”

Chu Shenxiang scoffed inwardly and said, "Before answering the protagonist's question, I have three questions I may ask you?"

The pages trembled slightly, and the words and clouds changed simultaneously.

"Excuse me."

Heaven's will respond.

Chu Shenxiang asked, "My first question is, as the Heavenly Way, do you favor the Divine Way?"

“Yes,” the Heavenly Dao replied, “This world is derived from novels, and the divine path is the main one in the books, so I naturally have to favor the divine path and follow the main storyline.”

Chu Shenxiang did not respond to this explanation, but asked again: "Second question, you are in favor of the divine path because of the Heavenly Way, do you know that mortals and all other living beings suffer because of this?"

“I know,” the Heavenly Dao replied, “but as I have said, this is how this world is. The divine path is the main thread, and all other living beings are merely livestock. I know you are a transmigrator and not a native of this world, but now that you have arrived, you must abide by the laws of this place.”

Chu Shenxiang still ignored her and asked again: "Third question, you are in favor of the Heavenly Way and the Divine Way, disregarding the wishes of all living beings. You only know how to cling to the shackles of words that have long been thrown away, repeatedly emphasizing 'the book,' 'the main plot,' 'the storyline,' and 'the protagonist.' You only see the illusory pages, but you cannot see the living beings under your feet, causing heaven and earth to weep. Do you still have the face to call yourself the Heavenly Way?"

"You!" Large, blood-red words suddenly appeared on the page, a stark warning!

"What's wrong with me?" Chu Shenxiang's dark blue eyes flashed with a sinister fire. "'Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs.' Do you know what that means? Ruthless doesn't mean the inhumanity I accused you of when I killed Xu Ming, but rather impartiality."

“Here, Wang Jiu can have selfish desires, Chen Chou can have selfish desires, and I can also have selfish thoughts, but you are the Heavenly Dao, representing this world, so you should treat all Daos and all spirits completely equally and without bias!”

"What 'book', what 'main plot', what 'story' and 'protagonist'... This is a world, whatever it was before, now it is a world!"

"What plot does the world have? What protagonist does it have? It grows as it is meant to grow. The thick and heavy can change it, I can change it, millions of gods, demons and monsters can change it. What you need to do is not to influence anyone or make them change it into whatever shape they want, but to let it be free!"

Amidst the illusory white expanse, a thunderous roar resounded.

The clouds rippled, causing the suspended pages of the book to tremble uncontrollably.

Chu Shenxiang stared at the blood-red words: "I have also fantasized about becoming the protagonist, and I don't mind becoming the protagonist, but I may be the protagonist of someone, the protagonist of a book, but I will never be the protagonist of a world."

"The world should not be bound by constraints, even if those constraints come from its most primordial core, from the Heavenly Dao that gave birth to it."

Where no one could hear, a loud cracking sound rang out.

Chu Shenxiang paused, then looked up as if she knew something. High up, something seemed to be dissipating in the sky.

A moment of silence in the illusion.

The blood-red words gradually faded from the pages.

"If I do not change, what will you do?" Heaven asked.

Chu Shenxiang's eyes were indifferent: "The world has changed, and the way of heaven will naturally change. If you do not change, a new way of heaven will emerge."

The pages trembled: "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you right now?"

"If you could directly intervene, this world would probably have been destroyed long ago," Chu Shenxiang said calmly.

"Then aren't you afraid that I'll find a new protagonist, destroy your Dao, sever the future of humanity, and make all your efforts go to waste? If you don't answer me, are there plenty of people in the world who will?" Heaven said.

“The seeds have already been sown; no matter how big the fire, it cannot burn them all,” Chu Shenxiang said.

"Fine, fine..." The pages clattered like blades. "You say I'm biased? You advocate humanity, so you're not biased either? I don't know my future, but your bias will surely kill you!"

"Your worship is thriving now because mortals are grateful to you, but do you think this gratitude will last? In the future, mortals will no longer rely on gods, and one statue after another will be toppled. Do you think you can escape that fate?"

"Your idol will eventually fall, Chu Shenxiang!"

Chu Shenxiang remained unmoved: "That is the day I have been waiting for."

The pages froze, speechless.

Chu Shenxiang raised her hand, and the books in front of her instantly turned into cold fire.

He turned around and stepped into the light.

Outside in the daylight, Shen Mingxin had not left. Upon seeing him, she rushed over, her face beaming with joy.

I'm hungry!

"Shall we go back and cook something, or eat out?"

"Let's eat outside. I want to eat steamed buns, from that place in the south of Yu County..."

"good."

The deity took the hand of the young man in white and led him across the devastated battlefield, step by step, into the distance.

...

What would a world look like if it were freed from the constraints of a so-called protagonist and main storyline?

Chu Shenxiang didn't know, but she would let things take their course.

On the seventh day of the third month of the 134th year of Dongfeng, during the Qingming Festival, the Divine Xiangjun of Xiling spread the "Refining God Dao Method" to the world, striving for a glimmer of hope for mortals. From then on, the path of cultivation officially appeared.

Regardless of age, gender, or status, all beings who once lacked extraordinary power and could only rely on gods and demons have condensed a divine embryo through Taoist magic.

After that, the Divine Embryo Realm, Foundation Establishment Realm, and Golden Embryo Realm—

More and more practitioners are emerging, and more and more ordinary people are breaking free from their cages and stepping into a new world.

The gods of the Nine Provinces were shocked and wanted to stop it, to nip this mortal upheaval in the bud. But the so-called army of gods had just assembled and had not yet stepped out of the Fengtian Mountains when they were stopped by a white lotus lamp.

The azure Dharma image was majestic and enormous, exceeding a thousand feet in height, supporting the sky and the earth, and no one could surpass it.

Once he spread the Dharma, all the people under heaven revered him, and incense burned day and night, worshipping him as a unique deity in the world.

A deity saw this and cried out in resentment, "Shenxiangjun, you eat meat, but you should at least give us some soup! If you continue like this, you are courting death! How long do you think those mortals will continue to offer you incense? Sooner or later you will end up like us!"

Chu Shenxiang's answer remained the same: "That's the day I've been waiting for."

Helpless, all the gods could only scatter like birds and beasts.

Aside from large-scale wars, Chu Shenxiang does not condone any competition or friction between humans, gods, demons, or monsters.

When people are weak, they die; when gods are weak, they collapse; when demons are weak, they perish. The sky is vast, the earth is wide, and all things compete freely.

The world is gradually changing.

The former world of gods and demons has been transformed into a cultivation world where all kinds of spirits thrive.

A wise and capable person descended to earth, unified the nine provinces, established the capital at Xiling in the north, and named the dynasty Yue.

The divine way has declined, but because the creation of heaven and earth is continuous and they are born extraordinary, they still exist. It's just that almost no one is willing to offer incense to them anymore.

Demons were besieged by all sides, but some were able to control their nature and turn to good, thus becoming cultivators in their own right and not hated by others.

Temples scattered across five countries and four seas were abandoned, and statues of gods were ruthlessly overthrown.

Only the Shenxiang Temple still stands, with a blurred statue of a deity inside and a bowl of clear, cool water, unchanged for many years.

Even if it doesn't change, it will still change.

Is anything in this world eternal?

Time is merciless; the years of heaven and earth pass inch by inch. Humanity has flourished and declined, gods have risen and fallen, and even demons and monsters have experienced cycles of prosperity and decay.

In the beginning, people chanted the name of Shenxiangjun, worshipping him day and night, grateful for his spreading of the Dharma throughout the world, enabling all mortals to have the ability to stand in this world. They regarded Shenxiangjun as their patriarch, and whenever a child grew up and wanted to condense a divine embryo to enter the Tao, they would come to worship the patriarch.

But gradually, as time passed, the practitioners went through generation after generation, the old ones returned to the earth, and the new ones broke out of the gate.

The ancestral masters we once worshipped have become increasingly obscure, and the stories passed down orally have turned into distant legends.

One day, weeds grew over the Shenxiang Temple, and it remained untended for a long time. Another day, the plaque above the temple gate broke, and the characters were so broken that they could no longer be recognized. Later, one day, the statue that stood in the temple collapsed, the lotus lanterns disappeared without a trace, and most of the black arms were torn off.

For many, many years, Shenxiangjun never appeared again.

A young child, led by his parents, passed by the temple gate and, upon hearing the ancient story, innocently asked, "No matter how powerful a deity is, he can only have a hundred-foot-tall Dharma form, barely able to fight a powerful primordial spirit among cultivators. How can there be a thousand-foot-tall Dharma form? Father and mother, don't deceive me just because I'm young. I'm an adult who's about to condense my divine embryo!"

"You brat, you're still wearing open-crotch pants and you think you're an adult? What nonsense! It's documented in history, even your parents' parents have said it!"

"Wow, so it turns out my parents were fooled too, so now they're using that to fool me!"

"Hey, you brat!"

The toddler giggled, stuck out his tongue, and made faces. His parents were so angry they frantically searched for their shoes, ready to beat him up.

Upon seeing this, the toddler covered his bottom and ran away in a flash, chased after him by a man and a woman shouting and holding up the soles of their shoes.

From the temple gate to the village entrance, chickens and dogs were running wild.

After a chase that lasted until they were exhausted, the two cultivators, a man and a woman, used their magic to catch the mischievous child and take him home.

The toddler, held between the legs and swinging his little feet, suddenly asked, "Father, Mother, the goddess Xiangjun you mentioned is so powerful, where is she now? Is she still alive? Don't gods not live long without enough incense offerings?"

The couple had a meal.

The woman smiled slightly and said softly, "Deities do not live long without enough incense offerings, and their lifespan is no different from that of us mortals. But Shen Xiangjun should be different."

"He must still be alive, living for a very, very long time..."

"Is it longer than the primordial spirit level?" the child asked.

"I think so," the woman replied.

"Then I want to be Shen Xiangjun too, to fight demons and evil gods, swoosh swoosh swoosh!"

Amidst the innocent words of the young child, the figures of the family of three disappeared into the twilight and into the distance.

Beneath the willow tree at the village entrance, in a small courtyard, the young man in red withdrew his perked-up ears and turned to look at the man in blue who emerged from the house: "I knew it. No matter how much time passes, no matter how many temples and statues collapse, the name Shen Xiangjun will always remain. People are forgetful, but they also have hearts."

Chu Shenxiang raised her eyes and said in a light voice, "If you are here, I will be happy; if you are not here, I will not be sad. In any case, I have already abandoned the path of divinity, reshaped my physical body with the help of humanity, and turned to cultivate the 'Refining God Dao Method'. Incense offerings can no longer determine my life or death, so you don't need to worry about it anymore."

"I'm not worried, I just like hearing people praise you!" Shen Mingxin rushed over like a gust of wind.

Chu Shenxiang pulled the person back: "Alright, go pack up. The Heavenly Way has changed, and it's a time of transition between the old and the new. The world is not in complete chaos, so we can try that formation..."

Shen Mingxin looked up suddenly, her face filled with surprise: "So, this means we can take this opportunity to visit your hometown?"

“Yes,” Chu Shenxiang said.

"Then I'd better prepare properly!"

"What are you going to prepare?" Chu Shenxiang asked, puzzled.

"When I meet your family, I should bring some nice gifts... Sigh, I don't have time anymore, I have to go now, eat dinner by yourself, I'm going out!"

“Enlightenment…”

Before Chu Shenxiang could even catch a glimpse, the person in her arms turned and flew away like a red butterfly.

A lush courtyard, with wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys.

He stood there, smiled helplessly, and drifted into the mortal world.

...

...

[End of Unit Two]

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Author's note: After thinking about it, I've decided to combine the two chapters into one and post it directly as the ending!

[Dog head carrying a rose] There are two more mini-stories, one set in modern times and the other in ancient times. The origins of humanity will be briefly mentioned, but those who have read the first unit should already know (cough cough).

The third world will open the day after tomorrow: "Top Alpha was once a discarded omega"!

*

A quick plug: Please add to your favorites the ancient Chinese BL novel with a similar world setting to this chapter, "The Sickly Beauty Is Coveting Him Again" [Let me check it out!]

It's tentatively scheduled to start around 2026. The pairing is a handsome, aloof, and slightly wicked non-human top x a bright, gentle, and slightly crazy beauty who is seductive bottom. It's a different type of pairing from the one in this unit, but it's definitely going to be great!