60. The Inner Demon Mirror - Part 1: Nezha Conquers the Dragon King?
The Secret Realm.
The world was thick and murky. Suddenly, a burst of intense light erupted in mid-air, and a vast array was suddenly deployed. From the Xuanwu emblem at the center of the array, wave after wave of soldiers flew down, holding magical weapons and riding on clouds, ready for battle. When their eyes fell on the strange barrier that enveloped Junxing Mountain, they were all surprised and turned away.
There were no insects chirping, no birds singing, no wind blowing, and even the faint light of plants breathing had been cut off. Only a pale black barrier stood around the boundary of the land, like a dying creature, constantly spewing out poisonous mist.
The cold, deathly silence was utterly unfamiliar. But many of the soldiers present recognized this barrier.
"Gods and Buddhas forbid this passage?"
The soldiers were dumbfounded. "Yan Youzu is hiding inside. How can we fight him? Wait, is this a forbidden area for gods and Buddhas? Why is it so dilapidated?"
"Perhaps... the one who formed the array is not skilled enough?"
"Is that possible? The thing hiding inside is older than the two of us combined."
One of the generals conjured a magical artifact shaped like a folding fan. The fan shone brightly, and the world within the Junxing Mountain area instantly became clear. The poisonous fog receded, the mist dissipated, and the view gradually became more open and clear.
Located at the eye of the Three Realms Teleportation Array, Mount Junxing is surrounded by a barrier that prohibits entry by gods and Buddhas. Inside the tattered barrier, many spirits are constantly crashing into the barrier walls.
Those were countless demonic spirits formed from resentment. They had no distinct facial features, only countless pained faces that appeared and disappeared at different times, constantly changing, mechanically and repeatedly crashing into the barrier wall. Although there were many holes in the barrier wall, they seemed to be bound by some kind of restriction, unable to leave.
The man abruptly pulled the folding fan back into his palm, then pointed it angrily: "Look! A forbidden barrier has appeared! I told you so! There must be a traitor in the Heavenly Constitutional Court..."
"Alright, enough talk! Keep purifying! We can't see anything inside!"
"...Strange, it can't be purified within the barrier?"
The folding fan-shaped magical artifact spun once in mid-air before flying back. The priest, skeptical, repeatedly summoned the Qinghuan Brushing Fan, only then becoming convinced that the Qinghuan Brushing Fan could not purify the barrier. This divine and Buddhist restriction was too domineering, even a heavenly-grade magical artifact couldn't do anything about it.
"Break the restrictions imposed by the gods and Buddhas! Otherwise, purification is impossible!"
Seeing this, another general made a gesture, and the soldiers attacked in unison.
Waves of magical attacks exploded on the barrier. Each time an attack landed, a strange, thick fog would surge up within the barrier, quickly covering the gap. The poisonous fog was almost tangible, like a lump of soft, rotten flesh. No matter how much lightning, fire, torrents, and other attacks rained down, the wound on the barrier only gradually widened and shattered.
The poisonous fog within the barrier was no less abundant, and the thick, ink-like fog was becoming increasingly dense. After several waves of attacks, it was no longer fog, but rather a sticky, soft floating substance.
The soldiers' expressions grew increasingly grim.
"What on earth is this thing?! Why isn't it hurt at all?!"
"Hurry! Tianmen Tongkuang has only suppressed it for a short while, Yan Youzu will recover soon! Act quickly!"
The soft, mushy floating matter, in clumps, emerged from the breach in the barrier wall. The entire area resembled a place on the verge of collapse. Just as the soldiers were gathering their strength to break through the barrier, a strange change occurred within it. They heard a muffled thud, as if some enormous thing had suddenly exploded. The thick floating matter rapidly receded by more than half, and a pointed bulge gradually appeared.
Suddenly someone shouted, "There are flowers!"
flower?
As the offensive gradually subsided, a flower bud was indeed found inside Junxing Mountain.
At the center of the poisonous fog, a huge flower bud hangs in mid-air. As the fog dissipates, the flower becomes clearer and clearer. Below the flower is the land, which is being corroded and sinking by the poisonous fog. Beyond the flower bud are a group of soldiers looking at each other in bewilderment.
What is it?
Something seemed to be wrapped inside the flower bud. Even through a barrier, everyone could clearly see two spirits with distinct auras, one black and one white, swirling around the flower bud.
The flower was shrouded in a hazy halo, and the soldiers outside the barrier hesitated. Soon, its changes once again attracted the attention of all the priests.
It began to slowly unfurl the edges of its petals, flowing down a silvery-white liquid like condensed moonlight. Wherever it passed, it dispersed small patches of poisonous mist, as if liquid "moonlight" had instantly frozen the poison. Then, with a "hiss," the frozen lumps evaporated into thin air.
Everyone was incredulous and began searching among their colleagues.
"Who did this?"
"Whose formation is this? A lotus flower? Whose emblem is this lotus flower?"
"It's definitely not Yan Youzu... It seems this lotus flower can purify demon spirits?"
The murmurs abruptly fell silent, and someone exclaimed in alarm, "Wait a minute! Where is Yan Youzu?!"
A priest immediately took out a magic artifact, cast a spell, and pointed at the barrier, saying, "There's a path below! The remnant soul of Yama Nyouzu slipped away underground!"
"Quick, after it! It's very weak!"
Upon hearing that Yan Youzu was weak, more than a dozen squads of soldiers rushed forward with great excitement, crawling through the cracks in the barrier wall and chasing after him along the constantly melting underground.
On the other side, the other soldiers waiting in formation were carefully studying this unclaimed "lotus formation".
The lotus was still unfolding, and the two auras surrounding it grew stronger and faster. The black and white energies chased and merged with each other, forming a faint, slowly rotating vortex of spiritual energy around the lotus, which slightly dispersed the poisonous fog around it.
"This is……"
Tai Chi?
"Whose formation is this?"
Discussions continued, but no one claimed it. As the lotus blossomed more fully, they clearly saw that at the very center of the lotus, where the seedpod should have been, there was an amber-like, translucent barrier. It radiated a soft, warm energy, and within the barrier, a person lay curled up in the heart of the flower.
The person's eyes were closed, and his face was serene, as if he were asleep, completely unaware of the attacks from the outside world, the voices of the priests, the surging poisonous fog, and the sudden appearance of the lotus flowers.
The scene before them was beyond their comprehension.
"……sleep?"
"Is anyone inside? Are they still alive?"
"Hey, wait a minute... He's wearing the uniform of a magic university! He's a student in the Earth Immortal Department!"
From an outsider's perspective, Tang Xihe was lying on his side in the lotus flower, curled up in a serene posture, his life hanging in the balance. The amber-colored barrier enveloping his entire body was powered by the Heart-Guarding Bracelet on his wrist, which was now flickering with tiny golden-orange flames.
Unbelievable.
In short, the lotus is currently calm and should not release any poisonous mist.
"You, follow Zhu Danqing to find the Qilin and purify all realms; you three... no, two teams, stay here and report immediately if the lotus flower shows any abnormality."
"The rest of you, come with me to investigate the whereabouts of Yan Youzu's remnant soul!"
"yes!"
At a few commands, the soldiers, with clear division of labor, rushed off in the direction they were heading, their figures as fast as lightning, disappearing in an instant.
"Whoosh—"
·
A refreshing breeze swept over them, making Tangxi feel lonely, as if every breath brought back memories of the past.
autumn?
Tang Xihe forced his eyes open. Strangely, he couldn't remember when he had closed his eyes. Just a second ago, Fu Ningjing had stuck out his tongue, and the tiny shard of mirror in his mouth suddenly erupted with a terrifyingly powerful spiritual energy, like a surging sea, instantly engulfing Tang Xihe and almost making him unable to breathe.
Even the most oblivious person could guess that the two sisters were working for someone else. Judging from the fact that Fu Guanhong kidnapped the unfortunate man, Zhang Benyi would most likely be fine.
Before him stretched a clear blue sky—Tang Xi felt as if it had been a long time since he had last seen such a clear and soft sky. He pulled at his eyelids with both hands, trying to open his eyes wide, and then realized that something was wrong.
The thick, eerie, and bloody smells faded away, replaced by a sweet lotus fragrance and the refreshing coolness of moist air.
Lotus flowers?
Tang Xi immediately propped himself up and sat up, feeling the soft, damp touch in his hands. He looked around blankly and realized he was sitting by a stream, a few blades of grass sprouting between his fingers, the babbling water and the clear chirping of birds filling his ears.
As if waking from a nightmare, Tangxi was by a crystal-clear stream. The water gurgled and washed over the smooth pebbles, a few gray fish darted away, wildflowers dotted the banks, and in the distance, the green mountains were shrouded in a thin mist.
It was so quiet it felt unreal.
Is it the power of the water mirror? Is this an illusion? Or...?
Tang Xi instinctively bent down, wanting to wash away the fatigue and bloodstains on his face with the icy stream water and clear his mind. But the moment he looked at the surface of the stream, his eyes widened in astonishment.
The stream was as clear as a mirror, reflecting the flowing clouds and a completely unfamiliar face.
It's not his face; it's too youthful, like a child's.
Her face was as white as powder, her lips were vermilion, and she looked healthy and well-nourished. She had large, bright black eyes, and even a bright red cinnabar mark between her eyebrows, making her look like a festive doll from a play. She wore a necklace around her neck, and most strangely, she had two buns on her head, one on the left and one on the right, with a few strands of hair hanging down.
etc!
Tang Xi suddenly raised his hand, and the child in the water also raised his hand; he touched his face in shock, and the child in the water made the exact same movement.
"...No way?"
Tang Xi heard her own voice sound as childish as a child's, and the childlike face in the water was looking back at Tang Xi on the surface with the same astonished gaze.
Nezha?
Tang Xi was horrified, grabbing the buns on either side of her head and trying to pull them off. "Buns? Fu Ningjing! You...you come out here!"
That's a perverse sense of humor.
After tugging a few times, her scalp ached. It turned out to be real hair. Tang Xi could only accept her fate. Where had Fu Ningjing sent her?
Does this mean "reenacting mythological stories"?
He didn't really remember the details of "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King," only vaguely recalling that after Nezha committed suicide, Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, destroyed Nezha's Rebirth Temple, thus becoming enemies with Nezha. From then on, the Heavenly King had to carry the pagoda to prevent Nezha from blowing his head off with a single shot.
But why am I Nezha?
Tangxi and Yinwei vaguely grasped the "threshold". Because before the teleportation, Fu Ningjing had given them the "answer" in advance.
"...Using the Heart-Revealing Mirror on you might have been part of Lord Xuanwu's plan..."
The Heart-Reflecting Mirror, as its name suggests, is a magical artifact that reveals the deepest wounds in a person's heart. In other words, it is a lesson that the person must confront themselves.
Tang Xi couldn't understand why it had to be arranged at the crucial moment when Yan Youzu was going berserk. Why was it Nezha causing havoc in the sea? Why him?
He has absolutely no connection with Nezha, and their personalities and abilities are also different.
"Found you!"
Two calls attracted Tang Xihe's attention. Turning his head, he saw two children emerge from the bushes not far away.
The two children approached, startling Tang Xihe. These two children had no facial features, but their tone of voice, their mannerisms, and even the way they scratched their chins gave Tang Xihe a sense of familiarity.
I must have seen it somewhere before.
"What's wrong? Why are you sleeping here?"
The slightly taller boy said, "Your father was just a bit harsh, don't take it to heart."
"Exactly. Look at you, your back is covered in mud from sleeping!"
Another boy brushed the mud off Tang Xihe's back, patted her head, and pulled a pancake from his pocket as he spoke. "Tang Xihe, your second brother secretly brought you a pumpkin pancake. Want to try it? It's soft and fragrant."
Tangxi was startled.
Did he call me by my real name?
Isn't this the world of Nezha's Havoc in the Dragon King? Why does it know my real name?
"What are you spacing out for? Did you get scolded and go crazy?"
Suddenly, the tall boy bent down, hoisted Tang Xihe onto his shoulder, and cheered, "Come on, big brother will take you home!"
Tangxi nodded blankly, when suddenly his vision suddenly rose higher. It turned out that a tall boy had hoisted him onto his shoulder and was rushing upstream with shouts of "Wow!"
So Tangxi instinctively hugged his head to steady herself and whispered a thank you.
The two children suddenly fell silent and stopped running. The other child turned around, his fair, round face facing Tangxi, who was riding on someone else's shoulders.
Tangxi was puzzled, and her heart tightened.
Is the fight about to begin?
"What did you say? Thank you?"
"Tang Xihe, you're not hiding some kind of trick to play on us again, are you?"
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