Chapter 51: Going Upside Down (XII) Going Upside Down and Upside Down, Like a Wave...
Lin Yuzhou's expression was calm, but the mole between his eyebrows suddenly became a little awkward and glaring. He stabbed them twice more, and only after they were completely dead did he put away his magic weapon. He frowned slightly and said, "What the hell is this thing?"
"I guess that immortal created it," Dong Yu said. "Some immortals are more ostentatious and will create little minions, giving them some of their own magical power and asking them to do things for them."
Zhang Deng said, "If these two men were dead, wouldn't that True Lord Chixia know about it?"
"Of course I know," Dong Yu said, "so let's hurry up."
Zhang Deng noticed that Lin Yuzhou's gaze stayed on Yin Jia's face and he was silent for a moment.
Zhang Deng asked, "What's wrong?"
"Huh?" Lin Yuzhou reacted and said, "It's okay."
But he seemed a little strange. Zhang Deng asked, "Do you remember anything?"
Lin Yuzhou held his forehead and said, "It seems so."
"It's not very clear," Lin Yuzhou said, "but I feel like I've seen this scene before."
Shi Hong said, "Stop messing around. Have you ever killed a god before?"
Zhang Deng was already numb and said, "Is it strange?"
Among such a group of people, what does killing a god mean?
He had gained a lot of experience now and didn't think it was a big deal. Zhang Deng said, "Even if Lin Yuzhou said one day that he was a god, I wouldn't be scared."
Lin Yuzhou said: "But I can."
Everyone laughed and continued to move forward. The road ahead was much flatter, and there were obviously traces of artificial construction. The landscape was different and no longer looked like the overgrown weeds at the foot of the mountain. Zhang Deng didn't know how long they had climbed. When he turned around to look, he found that he could no longer see the way he came. They were standing above the clouds.
"So beautiful." Zhang Deng said involuntarily.
Dong Yu said, "Kunlun Mountain must be a place of great spiritual beauty. Only places like this can have such abundant spiritual energy."
Zhang Deng saw several cranes flying in and out of the clouds, and it felt like being in an ink painting.
"Hmm?" Zhang Deng asked, "Is there anyone up there?"
Wei Yuanye had an excellent eye for movement, and after just one glance he said, "Yes."
Zhang Deng was about to tease him about looking like a frog when he noticed an old man sitting on the crane. Wei Yuanye suddenly said, "He saw us."
Zhang Deng: “…”
Are we going to fight again?
Zhang Deng was already feeling a little annoyed, but then the old man on the crane turned around and flew away as if to avoid a disaster, disappearing into the clouds.
"What does this mean?" Shi Hong asked, "Have you gone to get reinforcements?"
Dong Yu said, "Why can't you afford to play?"
"Is there any way to catch two cranes?" Lin Yuzhou was already exhausted. "Where the hell did we throw that damn phoenix? Catching two cranes to carry us is exhausting."
Zhang Deng said, "Please don't make your precarious merit worse, okay?"
Lin Yuzhou praised him: "How can you say so many idioms?"
Shi Hong also said: "Zhang Deng speaks elegantly."
"So literary." Zhang Deng said expressionlessly.
Shi Hong: "Oh."
But the crane and the old man above never appeared in the end. Instead, more cranes flew down the mountain. The forest was silent with the cranes crying, and Zhang Deng's uneasiness began to play tricks on him again.
"Did something happen down the mountain?" Zhang Deng said.
Dong Yu said, "Calculating the time, those people from the fighting arena should have arrived long ago."
"It's nothing but killing," Dong Yu said without taking it seriously. "We've arrived early, so let's hurry on."
Shi Hongdao said, "I always feel that our every move has long been under the scrutiny of others."
"That can't be helped," Dong Yu said, "after all, it's someone else's territory."
Zhang Deng asked, "How did you learn those cheats in your heads?"
"Success depends on people," Shi Hong said. "What's in my head doesn't usually speak much. It only comes out in critical moments. Sometimes they just sell me some props and leave."
Dong Yu had no other options. He said, "I only have books. I don't know anything that's not in the books. Anyway, let's move forward. There's no turning back."
"Why are you two so..." Zhang Deng didn't know what to say, "Aren't you two supposed to be the protagonists? Why don't you have any plans?"
Shi Hongdao: "Actually, my plan is to get the spirit body. This is what the mind told me."
Dong Yu was also stunned for a moment, and he said, "Me too."
"So your goals are all the same, your true spirit bodies," Zhang Deng said. "Lin Yuzhou's goal is also his true spirit body. Don't you think that's strange? Who gave you this assignment?"
Shi Hong shrugged and said, "Maybe once we get it, we'll know everything."
"I really suspect I followed the wrong people," Zhang Deng said, a little overwhelmed, "because you all seem like the protagonists."
Zhang Deng felt subtly irritated today, which made him a little talkative and he kept questioning the meaning of this trip.
Wei Yuanye said, "It's okay."
"We haven't strayed from the main quest of this world," Wei Yuanye said, "Let's move on."
In fact, Zhang Deng has already discovered that, except for him, everyone else in this team is goal-oriented. They only see the goals to be achieved at the moment, and they don’t think about anything else.
This may be the legendary successful personality, energetic, emotionally stable, not prone to random thoughts, sticking to one path until the end, and taking everything lightly and making a desperate gesture.
But Zhang Deng is not like that. Zhang Deng always thinks a lot. He is always anxious and worried, but he doesn’t know what he is worried about.
Shi Hong said, "But can't there only be one protagonist? Who is it?"
"To be honest, the system promised to give me 10 million as long as I get a piece of the large intestine of the martial soul's true body," Shi Hong said, "I'm here for the money."
Dong Yu said: "There is no conflict. According to the instructions in the book, as long as I get the right hand of the martial soul, I can become the human emperor and possess supreme magic."
"Okay, okay," Zhang Deng agreed absentmindedly, "That's amazing."
He had no interest in these successful people who were picked from thousands of people. After all, they were completely different from him. Zhang Deng only cared about whether he could carry out his mission.
The sky gradually became terrifyingly gloomy. If you looked closely, you could even see a blood-red hue coming from above the clouds.
Soon they found it difficult to tell the color of the sky and didn't know whether it was already night. Some unknown plants along the way emitted faint fluorescence, as if guiding them forward.
Before it got completely dark, they saw a corner of a majestic red brick palace. They turned the corner and saw hundreds of steps, and above them was a huge mahogany door emitting golden light, with the words "Yue Ke Hall" written on it.
"What the hell? How do you pronounce this word?" Shi Hong asked.
Dong Yu reminded him: "What is the axe for?"
"What pig?" Shi Hong said, "I don't like pork."
"Execution by axe," Zhang Deng was already used to it. "Axe, this sign means, if you go in, I'll kill you."
Shi Hong understood and said, "What a big tone."
"I just don't want to live anymore," Shi Hong said casually, "Go in and take a look."
Zhang Deng said, "It's so weird. He left the door wide open, as if he was leading us in and catching us all in one fell swoop."
Shi Hong took two steps at a time and climbed up the stairs, and several people followed him. Zhang Deng's physical strength was very good now, and he only felt tired when following them. He did not have the feeling of wanting to die as soon as he exercised as before.
Wei Yuanye put his hands on his buttocks to save him some energy, which made Zhang Deng feel a little embarrassed, but it was indeed easier, so he acquiesced with a red face.
It didn't take long for him to enter the door. As he entered, he felt a sense of sudden enlightenment. From a high vantage point, he could see countless palaces displayed below. Zhang Deng felt that it didn't make sense, but at the same time, it seemed a little reasonable. It was then that Lin Yuzhou asked the question: "Do the gods live here?"
"It's quite simple," Lin Yuzhou commented. "I thought it was at least a palace of fine jade."
Dong Yu shook his finger and said, "No, I heard that those who live on Kunlun Mountain are just low-level immortals. They are like our human office on earth, and they are all working there."
"Oh, then go talk to their director." Shi Hong said.
In fact, before they could even find it, a voice said, "Please go forward to Honghui Pavilion."
Wei Yuanye pointed to the palace directly opposite him and said, "This is it."
"Brother, you're actually a bit scary," Dong Yu said. "I've been meaning to say this for a while. This Honghui Pavilion is at least 300 meters away from you. How did you see it? Are these the five senses that humans should have?"
Wei Yuanye said, "The characters are very big."
Zhang Deng thought it might be because Wei Yuanye wasn't a normal human to begin with, so he interrupted, "I think the words are big too."
"Forget it," Dong Yu said, "Let's put it this way, the crane only flew right in front of you today, otherwise you would be blind."
Zhang Deng had nothing to say. His eyesight was indeed average, but there was nothing he could do about it. This was a common pain for all writers.
They followed the instructions and entered Honghui Pavilion. It was very dark inside, and even had a damp and moldy smell. In front of the wooden table at the front, there were two red candlesticks. The only light came from there.
It was only when she walked in slightly and turned on the lights that she saw that a statue of a deity was enshrined in a niche. The incense burners in front of it were all full and spilled over the table, making the whole hall look dilapidated.
A place like this, once it falls into disrepair, will appear eerie and dark.
Zhang Deng looked back and saw that the door was not closed. This was the only thing that didn't seem like a horror movie. Apart from that, it was no different from any other domestic horror movie.
"Master Chixia," Shi Hong said, "Come out and talk."
Shi Hong was too brave. Zhang Deng even felt that he was a little fierce, charging forward without any regard for methodology.
"Why don't you send more people to block our way?" Shi Hong asked, "You're looking down on us brothers."
"You saw them." A voice sounded in front of them.
The small statue in the niche opened its eyes, revealing a faint light. Its face was invaded by red rust, and it looked like it had been neglected for a long time.
Zhang Deng thought of what he had heard before: if the gods in mythology were forgotten by humans and no longer worshipped, they would slowly lose their divine power. He wondered if this was also the case with Master Chixia.
Lin Yuzhou asked: "What is your purpose in bringing us here?"
"It wasn't me who led you here, but you yourselves," said True Lord Chixia. "What does this have to do with me?"
Zhang Deng felt that this immortal was actually quite easy to communicate with and didn't seem to like telling riddles.
True Lord Chi Xia said, "I have lived for too long and have seen too much. I can tell you a story."
"People often say that going against the grain brings disaster," he asked. "What if Heaven's will goes against the grain?"
"At the beginning of creation, the world consisted of only plants, trees, insects, and fish, but they were all short-lived creatures that lived and died within a day. Later, evolution gave rise to four-legged beasts and two-legged sheep, and killing also began at this time. They evolved limbs and teeth, which they could use to tear apart other lives. Evolution simply meant usurpation and plunder. After the emergence of humans, they always wanted to possess more. Eventually, even what they had wasn't enough, and they wanted what others didn't have. Ultimately, they would cultivate to become immortals. By the time a person reaches this level, they've already killed too many people and animals, usurped too many things, and stolen too many spiritual objects that didn't belong to them."
"The path to immortality is inherently perverse," said True Lord Chi Xia. "The first person I killed was my junior sister. Although I loved her, Master gave her all the good things, so I killed her in a fit of ruthlessness. I thought I had broken my heart and would inevitably suffer retribution, but the more I killed, the smoother it became, and I actually achieved the right result."
"So what if we became immortals? We, the lower-ranking immortals, can't ascend, so we can only stay in Kunlun. In Kunlun, everyone is an immortal, so we thought it would be more peaceful," said True Lord Chi Xia, "but instead, the killing has become more fierce, because we have all been killing along the way. We want to seize magic weapons, mounts, and imperial titles. We keep killing, and immortals keep coming, and they keep dying, and we keep killing."
Chixia Zhenjun said, "One day, I was out in a cave and came across a mural. The mural told the following story."
"The world is currently running amok, with the most despicable species controlling the most resources. In reality, the gods are the lowest creatures, followed by humans, and then monsters. The grass, wildflowers, birds, and beasts that fill the mountains are the true masters of this world. If chaos reaches its limit, everything will naturally return to its original state, and everything will return to normal."
"This sparked a panic of god-killing in the immortal world," said True Lord Chi Xia. "Everyone felt the mural foreshadowed something. Later, some said a Heavenly Executor would descend and strangle everything. However, with so many alien visitors over the years, it's unclear who this executor truly is."
True Lord Chi Xia said, "Rumor has it that this man came from nowhere, descending from the sky. He is mysterious and unfathomable, yet possesses extraordinary abilities. He will be surrounded by a group of friends, each with considerable magical powers. He will bring great disaster to the immortal world and bring an end to the world ruled by the immortals."
Zhang Deng glanced at everyone. Everyone had an answer in their minds. Zhang Deng thought it was Wei Yuanye.
Zhang Deng also believed it, and the gods also thought it was Wei Yuanye, because those gods had caused trouble for Wei Yuanye before.
Wei Yuanye is the one who is least willing to hide his abilities here. He has never concealed the fact that he is rich and capable. This has saved him a lot of trouble, helped him make friends quickly, and enabled him to advance his mission as quickly as possible and get closer to the center of the vortex.
But the downside is that being a big tree attracts attention, and everyone's eyes are on them, which can cause a lot of trouble. This is one of them.
True Lord Chi Xia said, "Then the human plague arrived, and we knew that 'he' had also arrived. These past few days, the immortals have been killing each other to combat the human plague, eating up all their own flesh and blood. Your journey up the mountain was smooth, wasn't it? The immortals were already overwhelmed."
"Did you eat Wuhun's true body?" Lin Yuzhou asked.
True Lord Chi Xia opened his eyes slightly and asked, "Why are you so obsessed with your spirit body?"
Lin Yuzhou said, "If he ascended to heaven, he must be a high-ranking immortal, certainly different from you who guard Kunlun. To become a saint through martial arts is such a genius. Needless to say, his death must be related to you."
True Lord Chixia pondered for a moment, then said, "He went against the Way of Heaven, so why not just say it's his own fault?"
Zhang Deng said, "Your statement is quite self-conscious."
"I really don't believe it," Shi Hong said. "If a god-like figure appeared in this situation, you would definitely think that it was the executor of heaven. You would definitely strangle it together and eat its flesh. It's really..."
He found a word to describe it: "Shameless."
True Lord Chi Xia said, "This is also his fate. He has not yet overcome his own heavenly tribulation—"
"So you really ate it?" Dong Yu picked up the key words, "You ate it all?"
True Lord Chixia said, "Eat it."
Dong Yu: "Did you eat it all?"
True Lord Chi Xia: "Go and see for yourself. I'll just throw it behind the house."
Dong Yu was a little upset: "Why is this happening?"
He couldn't accept it, and he said, "You might as well die."
His dream was shattered and he collapsed naturally. As he spoke, he ignited the thunder and fire in his hands, wanting to blow up the temple. However, at this moment, Master Chi Xia suddenly moved. He had a brass texture on his body, and as he walked down, it slowly transformed into the skin color of a human, but it was paler, and a circle of blisters grew around his mouth. This seemed to be his human plague.
True Lord Chi Xia said, "If you don't kill me, my life will also come to an end. But if you want to kill me, I will not let you kill me."
"The sandalwood burning in this room is the scent of brocade flowers. In just a moment, it will make you weak to the bone and completely lose all your magical power," said True Lord Chi Xia. "Just try to mobilize your true qi."
Without him saying anything, beads of sweat had already appeared on Dong Yu's forehead.
"So it was you who did it," Shi Hong said. "It was your plan to spread Jincai around the world."
True Lord Chi Xia: "I've said it before, this world doesn't belong to us, nor to you, but to these inanimate creatures. If they hadn't agreed, we wouldn't have come to this. To put it bluntly, are immortals annoying? Are humans lovable? To this world, to those flowers and plants, aren't we all the same?"
"Then you die first," Shi Hong said, furious, "We're all going to die, so you die first!"
He swung out his golden sword, and suddenly a divine power emerged and slashed it out, causing countless sparks to explode and tearing the darkness apart. True Lord Chi Xia stood in front of the sparks, calm and composed, and saw the golden light just stop in front of him.
Zhang Deng saw the shadows and wrinkles on his face from the golden light, which bore the marks of time and the scheming of his mind. Zhang Deng realized that this old man was not a simple man.
True Lord Chi Xia said, "In reality, you all have external forces assisting you. That power doesn't belong to you. You've relied on them to get to where you are today. Even if you truly achieve what you wish for, can you truly maintain your achievements?"
He is naturally qualified to say this, because he has come this far step by step. He naturally feels disdain and shame when he sees the so-called "system" and "traveling through books".
True Lord Chi Xia said, "Even orthodox cultivation is despised, let alone those who take unconventional and crooked paths. How can you not kneel when you meet a True God like us?"
He suddenly became imposing without being angry. A gust of wind blew over him, almost knocking him over from behind. Shi Hong was pushed to the ground and almost fell to his knees. He supported himself by holding up the golden sword and managed to keep his body up. He knelt on one leg and kept himself up on the other.
Zhang Deng felt that the wind was just averagely strong. He was so thin that he didn't feel it to such an exaggerated extent. Upon closer inspection, Wei Yuanye didn't seem to feel anything either.
Wei Yuanye didn't say a word from beginning to end, but Zhang Deng felt that Master Chi Xia seemed to be afraid of Wei Yuanye, because he never looked at Wei Yuanye, and his gaze never turned in that direction.
The wind was getting stronger and stronger, and it seemed as if it was going to blow everything apart. Shi Hong could no longer stand steadily, and Dong Yu was completely blown down by the wind, hitting the wall hard, making a loud noise and crackling the wall. The wind blew away through the hole on the other side, and it was calm outside.
Niu Zhuang held on to a pillar tightly and let out an angry roar. The pillar was actually uprooted by the wind. This was a load-bearing pillar. When the pillar was blown away, the roof collapsed. Zhang Deng ran away. He still remembered that the triangle area was safe, but someone behind him pulled him back. Zhang Deng hit Wei Yuanye's chest hard, and then everything went dark in front of his eyes. When he opened his eyes, he heard a sudden loud bang. The wood and bricks around him were broken. Wei Yuanye pulled him and pulled him out of the ruins.
Zhang Deng looked at the empty courtyard. His friends crawled out of the ruins one after another. Dong Yu wailed and cried out in pain, holding his waist.
True Lord Chixia stood in front of them, looking at them gloomily and silently.
Zhang Deng seemed to see something suddenly. He found that there was indeed a human corpse behind the body of Master Chi Xia. The corpse had obviously been gnawed, and the internal organs and even the intestines were gone. They were all eaten clean. However, when Zhang Deng looked carefully, he felt that there seemed to be no signs of a broken skull.
Zhang Deng suddenly remembered that Shi Hong had told him that people here didn't eat human brains because they would get sick. It might be the parasites in the human brain that Zhang Deng had heard about before, which could be fatal.
Zhang Deng glanced at Lin Yuzhou. Lin Yuzhou met his gaze, understood Zhang Deng's expression, and nodded calmly.
True Lord Chixia said, "Why don't you continue to shout? And how did the external force that helped you teach you?"
Zhang Deng wanted to divert his attention, so he shouted, "Ah——"
As a result, Wei Yuanye was frightened by this and his face changed. Then he heard Zhang Deng say fiercely but weakly: "I will kill you—"
Zhang Deng jogged off, and Wei Yuanye quickly followed him, but Master Chi Xia actually took a step back. Zhang Deng was stunned. He took a step forward, Master Chi Xia took a step back, Zhang Deng took another step forward, and he took another step back.
Zhang Deng hadn't taken out the snow mountain wood yet. He felt it was unsafe and was afraid that it would be snatched away by True Lord Chi Xia. He had nothing in his hands and didn't know what True Lord Chi Xia was afraid of.
But he soon discovered that it seemed like he was just taking advantage of the power of others, as Wei Yuanye was standing behind him.
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