Chapter 97 In the competition, there is no second place. Peach, please, stop…
Seeing that Liuxing was speechless after being choked by her words, Bitao knew that he was beginning to waver.
Of course, while Bitao wasn't lying, she only selectively told a portion of the truth.
For example, the encounter between the meteor and the people of this world, even if it is inseparable from the many choices of the meteor, how can the evil deeds of the evil spirit be blamed on the "victim"?
For example, there is indeed no entertainment in the celestial realm, nor is there any roasted pig's trotters for sale.
However, if one desires fine clothes and delicious food, one can easily conjure them up using magical arts.
Otherwise, where did Zhu Ming get that enormous dressing case, which was as big as the room?
The ancient immortals also included merit immortals. Although they were all busy working for the common people, they were not entirely without selfish desires.
Even beasts know to form gangs to fight for territory, so how could an immortal, who has a human form, not have human desires?
They seize power and profit because power determines one's position, and the higher the position, the more choices one has.
Things that don't exist in the sky can exist on the ground.
When officials descend to the mortal realm to take up official posts, the flow of time in the celestial realm and the star realm is different. Most star realms are the same as those in the first competition, where one day in heaven is equivalent to ten years on earth.
In addition to fulfilling their public duties, they must strictly abide by the heavenly rules, and must not have children with mortals in the lower realm, arbitrarily alter the fate charts of mortals, or cause the shifting of star paths.
Aside from that, whether you live as a king or general, reaching the highest ranks of officialdom and leaving your mark on history, or live as a wealthy idler, enjoying all the riches and luxuries, surrounded by beautiful women, nobody cares.
Conversely, those without power or influence, who suffer from exclusion, are assigned to turbulent astral realms and chaotic times.
Those who descend to the mortal realm cannot carry immortal techniques that exceed the limits of the star realm. Their lives will be in constant danger, and they might even lose their lives in order to fulfill their duties.
To put it simply, even if a donkey is pulling a millstone, it still needs to be fed "fodder".
Otherwise, no matter how powerful the whip of the Heavenly Dao is, the "donkey" of the Heavenly Realm will only be led but not moved, and beaten but will only back down.
It is true that the celestial beings in the heavens are dedicated to serving the common people, and it is also true that most celestial beings would rather die than harm the common people.
But since both are jobs, who wouldn't want the easier one, which yields higher spiritual energy and faith power?
This is the fundamental reason why the celestial ranks in the heavens are like a dog biting a donkey, resulting in a mouthful of hair.
Bitao was able to sway Liuxing's mind with such a few "opportunistic" words because Liuxing had never held a celestial position in the heavens and because of his extraordinary concern for the people of this world.
The art of debate is about using your words to sway the other person's mind into the way you want it to be.
However, Meteor was very clever. Although he was momentarily led astray by Peach, he quickly came to his senses.
Bitao is engaging in sophistry.
It is an attempt to shift responsibility, to blame all the injustices and misfortunes suffered by the people of this world and on him alone.
But before he could even open his mouth to speak, Bitao, taking advantage of his impeccable manners, interrupted him without giving him a chance to speak.
"I know, Senior Brother Meteor, you're probably going to say that the people of this world are harmed by the Netherworld Ghosts, and that the immortals of the Heavenly Realm have failed in their duties, which is why the Netherworld Ghosts have run rampant."
"But Senior Brother Meteor, it's because you didn't stay in the Heavenly Realm to become an immortal that you don't know that the Heavenly Realm and the Underworld have been separated for many years."
"Since the ancient times of Pangu separating heaven and earth, pure air has risen to the sky while turbid air has entered the earth."
"The reason why the Heavenly Realm allows the Underworld to be divided is because the Underworld is polluted by turbid air. The higher the cultivation level of the Underworld ghosts, the stronger the turbid air in their bodies. This turbid air will completely corrupt humanity."
“All the underworld officials are afflicted by the five yin energies. The stronger their magical power, the fewer people they can uphold their original mind and nature.”
"Therefore, in the underworld, whether it is the Earthly Fiend Kings, the Day and Night Wanderers, or even the Yama Kings and Judges of the Ten Courts, they are all replaced at any time."
“Apart from the Luofeng Mountain Emperor who is replaced every three thousand years, there are countless ghost officials who have lost their true nature and been sentenced to Avici Hell because they have absorbed too much turbid air.”
"The Heavenly Realm doesn't even have enough donkeys and dogs right now, how can it possibly manage everything?"
"Senior Brother Meteor is knowledgeable about all things. He has been to the eighteen levels of hell many times but has never lost his original heart. He is a rare genius. If we had been more tolerant, he could have made great strides in the heavenly realm."
As Bitao finished speaking, her mouth went dry, and her eyes showed genuine regret.
If the all-powerful immortal position of Meteor were brought under Zhu Ming's command, it would surely be put to good use, wouldn't that be like adding wings to a tiger?
Meteor wanted to question Bitao's words, but he had also been a night wanderer, and Bitao was right... Ghostly positions in the ghost realm were changed faster than a child's diaper ring in the mortal world.
Sometimes, the number of evil spirits who commit crimes in a single day is so great that they cannot be fried in a single pot of oil.
Bitao sighed and said to him, "But you don't need to be afraid. Everything we say now can reach not only the heavens but also the netherworld."
"Because this selection competition for immortals is for positions in the six departments of the Heavenly Realm, including the Department of the Underworld."
"The supreme ruler of the Underworld, Emperor Luofengshan, was seated in the spectator seats before I descended to the mortal realm for my second competition."
"After we descend to the mortal realm, the flow of time in this star realm will be changed by the rotation of the stars and the yin-yang sundial to 'one day in heaven is ten years on earth'."
"We are only a few months away from the next one, not even a day in heaven yet. The Emperor himself must still be in his seat watching the game."
"You can tell me everything you know about those corrupt officials who have participated in plotting against the common people, protected those who plotted against the common people, or even those who remained indifferent to matters that did not concern them."
"I guarantee that the underworld will undergo a great purge, and all the ghosts involved will receive their due punishment."
"After all, Emperor Luofengshan requested that the Heavenly and Underworld realms be divided and ruled separately. Now, during the transition of power, such a disgraceful incident has occurred. It's no different from defecating in one's pants. It's like being slapped in the face by one's subordinate in front of all the celestial beings. He will never tolerate it."
Bitao licked her lips and said, "Well, Senior Brother Meteor, tell me."
Meteor stared at Peach, her lips trembling, but she remained speechless for a long time.
The hearts of all living beings in his arms trembled violently.
His years of perseverance and dedication have enabled him to transform into a spear, charging forward relentlessly despite harsh words, relentless pressure, and crushing blows.
Yet, amidst a series of frank and heartfelt words of regret, it was like a shattered main pillar.
The fortresses he had built in his mind over many years, all the houses and walls, began to collapse silently.
At this moment, Bitao dealt him another fatal blow: "The turnover rate of ghost officials in the underworld is too fast. Those ghost officials who once harmed the people of this world may have already been cast into the Avici Hell for other crimes."
"Then you can also tell me, which ghost officials took your merits to help you cover up the situation in this world and did not report it to the Underworld? Who are these corrupt officials who accepted bribes?"
Meteor suddenly looked at Bitao. His soul made no sound of bones breaking; otherwise, his neck would have made a cracking sound from the violent movement.
His eyes quickly turned blood red, transforming into the eyes of a demon in the blink of an eye, and the heart of all living beings in his chest began to be covered with spiderweb-like cracks.
Bitao looked at him with pity in her eyes amidst the lightning, appearing like a true god who could see through everything and understand all things.
"You don't think I'll just believe your side of the story, do you?"
“I can tell you, those of us who look down on your immortal positions may not be as capable or talented as you, but none of us are fools who are blinded by a single leaf.”
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have been willing to dig out my heart-protecting bone to form an array, sacrificing my life to give up the competition, just to seal you here."
"You may have been acting in the best interests of your people at first, but what happened afterward? To cover up the broken bridge of reincarnation in this world, how many people have you harmed?!"
Bitao stood up and looked down at the shooting star, saying, "You don't know, there's something in the heavens called the Starry Sky Rotating Yin-Yang Sundial."
"It encompasses all things, giving rise to the spirits of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. All worlds are under its surveillance and nowhere can hide."
"I told you before that there is no reincarnation in the celestial realm. After death, one must offer sacrifices to the sundial, which is the yin-yang sundial that rotates through the Milky Way."
"Whether we live like donkeys or dogs, tearing each other apart or harming each other, or losing face and becoming despicable in the struggle for power and profit, that is our own business."
"Even if we die, we will turn into spiritual energy, into all things in this world, keeping a close watch on the common people in the lower realms, and guarding all worlds in this world."
Bitao chuckled, finally revealing the arrogant air of someone holding a celestial position.
"You could say that the fate of this world and the fate of the immortals are due to the injustice of Heaven and the dereliction of duty by the immortals."
"But no matter how many immortal positions there are in the Nine Heavens, they can't compare to the myriad worlds of the Milky Way, and it's impossible for them to be aware of all the secrets and sins at all times."
"Like the golden crow hanging high in the sky, no matter how hot and bright it is, it cannot illuminate every dark corner of the world."
"Clear and turbid, good and evil, misfortune and fortune, are always intertwined and inseparable."
"No matter how severe the punishments and laws are, they cannot stop the growth of evil spirits."
"But the subsequent calamities caused by hundreds of ghosts and the depletion of life in this world, is it not because of you, who discovered the evil deeds of the ghost officials, did not think of reporting them, but insisted on severing the cycle of reincarnation, and sent some souls into the cycle of reincarnation from time to time over thousands of years, maneuvering and deceiving the heavens."
"Is it because the Starry Sky Revolving Yin-Yang Dial failed to issue a timely warning, and the Immortal Emperor, who has been sitting in charge of the Starry Sky Revolving Yin-Yang Dial for many years, failed to know about the suffering of the people in this world?"
"You think the heavens are full of good-for-nothings and the underworld is full of evil spirits."
"So you've severed this astral realm from the celestial realm and the underworld. Do you really want to repair the bridge of reincarnation?"
"Those souls clearly want to be reincarnated; they could simply cut down a lightning-struck tree to build a bridge."
"Or do you want to establish a new underworld that belongs to this place, and make this world a world of its own?"
Bitao sighed again, "But Senior Brother Liuxing... the myriad realms of the stars are like the branches and leaves of a great tree in the heavens. How can you possibly sustain a leaf you pluck from the tree?"
As Bitao finished speaking, the thunder from the heavens grew even more ferocious, its roar like a celestial river pouring down, crashing down relentlessly!
The meteor seemed to have its throat choked, its veins bulging, its soul trembling incessantly.
"Hahahaha..." He suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Amidst the rolling thunder, he laughed wildly and unrestrainedly, yet also with utter misery.
"Well said...that's really well said!"
So that's how it is.
It turns out he was a complete coward, and the tragedy that befell the people was all caused by his cowardice and arbitrariness.
He was born into a wealthy and powerful family in the mortal world, a young master with countless servants. He was born with innate knowledge and was praised as a genius sent from heaven. One day, while boating on a lake, he suddenly entered the Dao.
After that, he had a smooth and successful life, accumulated countless believers through good deeds, gathered together various schools of Taoist arts, stopped the wars in the chaotic world, and became the patriarch of the Xuanmen sect.
And when did he begin to act like a gambler willing to do anything to restore everything to what it was before?
Until he turned into a ruthless and wicked demon who killed without hesitation?
He smiled, yet tears streamed down his face; the cracks in the hearts of all beings deepened, yet they remained unbroken.
Even so, his people still love him and believe in him.
Even when he lost himself, he never truly abandoned his desire to seek peace and stability for all living beings.
“I did, I did think about…making this place a world of its own.”
The meteor was pierced through the chest and abdomen, embedded in the peach wood sword. Its limbs were still stiff, but when it turned its head to look at Bitao, it stubbornly straightened its back.
But now he relaxed his limbs and showed no further intention of resistance.
His long hair and robes, along with his limbs, hung down, and his exceptionally handsome features reflected the roaring thunder and lightning in the sky.
His demonic eyes dissipated, his gaze returned to clarity, and tears streamed down his face, sliding down his forehead as the wind whipped his long hair.
"Was I wrong?" he murmured to himself.
Bitao covered her head, her mind buzzing from being struck by lightning.
At this time, many people around her had already woken up thanks to the healing power of the Wood Spirit.
The bright light that was being carefully held in her hands finally opened its eyes.
His gaze was unfocused for a moment before he immediately rose from Bitao's palm.
The moment he saw the image of Bitao, his golden pupils contracted sharply to a single point.
Then, disregarding everything else, he roared, "Little Peach Branch! Stop right now!"
To manifest one's Dharma form in the lower realm is already a grave sin; to force oneself to maintain that form for an unknown period of time is to compound the sin!
Bitao looked down at Mingguang and saw that he was alright, lively and able to shout. She smiled slightly.
However, he reinforced the wood spirit barrier in his palm even more, preventing him from escaping.
The other immortals who were healed by the vast wood spirits emitted by Bitao and gradually awakened also discovered Bitao's Dharma form and called out to her from afar.
Make her stop immediately and confess her sins!
However, the accumulated lightning tribulations shook heaven and earth, constantly striking Bi Tao's Dharma form. The sound was too loud and the power too great, and those immortals couldn't even get close.
Bitao then continued Liuxing's words: "You didn't really do anything wrong... I was only saying those things from the perspective of a celestial being, since you didn't stay in the Heavenly Realm to become a celestial being."
"As a mortal born here who has never seen other star realms and whose perspective is limited, you have done very, very well."
"A normal person would have gone insane long ago after going through the eighteen levels of hell so many times. Senior Brother Meteor, your mental fortitude is extraordinary, it's nothing short of a miracle!"
Meteor, who had already given up all resistance, suddenly realized her own despicable nature, and desperately agreed with Bitao's statement: "..."
He turned his head and glared at Bitao, his eyes filled with a murderous intent.
He asked Bitao, "So all that you've told me was just to fool me?!"
Bitao: "No, no... I mean, don't be so sad yet. Quickly tell me about those ghost officials who accepted bribes and concealed the collapse of the Reincarnation Bridge!"
Bitao cried out, "I can't hold on any longer! Can't you see the lightning is getting stronger and stronger?!"
Meteor smiled bitterly: "Aren't these lightning tribulations... manifestations of Heaven's will to take me away?"
"I confess my guilt. What is there to fear in death?"
Bitao: "No! Heaven doesn't directly punish mortals. Even if you die, you'll still be under the jurisdiction of the Netherworld. Everything has its order, just like the chains I told you about, interlocking and insurmountable. This lightning tribulation was meant for me; I broke the rules of Heaven!"
meteor:"……"
It turns out that he had harbored resentment for over two thousand years, hating the injustice of Heaven and the failure of the celestial beings to descend and save the common people. It was all just wishful thinking on his part.
He relinquished his immortal status, and was not even qualified to be punished by the Heavenly Dao...
However, Meteor didn't have time to feel sorry for himself, because the lightning tribulation was too strong. He was shaken off the peach wood sword and slid down a bit. Moreover, he saw that Bitao's hair had been struck off her head.
The once majestic Dharma image now looks... indescribable.
Meteor asked somewhat fearfully, "What did you do wrong...? Was it because you referred to the immortals as dogs and donkeys, or because you said the Great Emperor of Luofeng Mountain defecated in his pants?"
Bitao: "No... Our cultivation levels were all suppressed in the competition in the lower realm, and even our immortal spirits were stripped away. This is because although this star realm is the realm of the Xuan Star, it is desolate and all laws are decaying."
"If more than three thousand immortals were to descend to the mortal realm, it would surely cause the star charts here to shift, disrupt the fate charts of mortals, and even cause the sky to collapse and the earth to sink when the star charts of this realm could not withstand it."
"In order to deal with you, I summoned the divine form to manifest in this world, which is a violation of the heavenly rules."
"So, Senior Brother Meteor, hurry up and tell us!"
"You know those lightning-patterned curses that you managed to break through the immortal ranks before, right? They were set up by our loving immortal masters, and also by the most just and ruthless Heavenly Dao of all realms."
"If I don't confess, she'll come down and whip me into eight pieces in a minute!"
Is a celestial being, who merely manifests a form in the mortal realm, destined to be torn to pieces?
Looking again, the meteor shower in the heavens was so intense that it illuminated the entire world as bright as day, clearly indicating that it was about to strike with all its might.
Meteor was momentarily shaken, and his gaze toward Bitao was filled with admiration.
Is becoming a celestial being really that difficult...?
Meteor didn't linger any longer and began to name the ghost officials: "Successor of the Fifth King of Hell, Zhou Feng."
"He used the suffering of the people to accumulate merit and ascended to the position of Yama, the King of Hell. He ordered his ghost officials to collect 'reincarnation fees' throughout the myriad realms, and if people didn't pay, they would cripple their souls so that they would have no way to return..."
"Lü Li, the successor of the Ten Kings of Hell, colluded with Zhou Feng to suppress the new Ghost King and embezzle his official salary..."
"Terrid, the successor of the Judgement and Rewards Department, accepts offerings from the souls of wicked people to exonerate them and fabricate merits..."
...
In countless days and nights spent tormented in hell, the meteor had already etched these names deep into its heart.
After crawling back to the human world, fearing that he would forget, he relive the experience again and again.
Therefore, he could recite these names more fluently than he could recite the lessons his teachers had given him when he was young.
Finally, he recited all the names he had gnashed his teeth at day and night.
Finally, it says: "Li Xingguo, born in Cairo in 1967, once served as a night patrol god in the underworld, and his name was Yu Junlang."
"Crimes: Smashing the bridge of reincarnation in the astral realm, harming all living beings for personal gain, raising evil spirits, creating puppets of living beings with ghostly bodies, imprisoning immortals in an attempt to create an independent underworld..."
His charges were exceptionally long, but with each charge he uttered accompanied by thunder and lightning and the earth-shattering might of the heavens, the crack in the heart of all living beings within his chest would be mended.
His smile grew wider and wider, even though he was clearly a criminal who had been subdued and was suspended in mid-air with his body pierced through.
But his smile at this moment was clear and pure, just like that of the wealthy young master from back then, surrounded by servants, holding a book, boating on the lake, gazing at the shimmering water, thinking about how he would devote himself to the common people in the future, and then leisurely entering the Dao.
After he finished stating his crimes, Bitao stared at him in astonishment as his heart for all living beings was restored to harmony.
"Tao Tao! Stop! His fate is in the hands of Heaven!" Ming Guang pounded wildly against Bi Tao's palm, his fear evident in his voice.
Even if he dies in this realm, he will only be demoted several ranks after returning to heaven. However, those who violate the heavenly rules will definitely be punished by lightning tribulation!
Mingguang patted the barrier, his body covered in dried blood, but his face was streaked with tears that he himself was unaware of.
His little peach branch...
His little peach branch!
He looked up at the image of the Peach Blossom Buddha, his golden eyes like blood: "Peach Blossom, please, stop."
He even used the word "beg".
Mingguang Xuanxian is respected and protected by all the immortals. He was born with everything he wanted, and people would respectfully offer it to him. When has he ever asked anyone for anything?
Bitao knelt on one knee and planted the peach wood sword, adorned with shooting stars, into the ground.
Then the barrier that had been trapping Mingguang was opened.
She lowered her eyes and reached out to brush his face with her fingers.
However, because he hadn't properly assessed the strength of the Dharma Image, he accidentally pressed it into his palm.
It was as if coldly forbidding him from getting close.
Mingguang quickly turned around, hugged Bitao, and pressed his fingertips against hers. Bitao felt ticklish all over because of how cute he was.
I want to hold him on my head, tuck him into my arms, stuff him into my sleeve, put him in my mouth... just like Mingguang did to the little peach branch man.
Mingguang's eyes were as red as a rabbit's, yet they had a touch more gold than a rabbit's red eyes, making them breathtakingly beautiful.
Mingguang said, "Stop it now."
Even Mingguang himself knew very well that it would be useless to stop; the might of Heaven could not be challenged.
Those who violate the heavenly rules have no other way out but to pay their respects.
Bitao saw that Mingguang had actually cried, and for a moment she felt a pang of pity.
Mingguang never cried again after he grew up.
When I was a child, no matter how hard or tiring things were, I never received any gold nuggets.
They only shed tears once, when the Heavenly Dao of the Myriad Realms discovered them and forced them to separate.
Bitao's lips moved slightly, and for a moment she felt a pang of reluctance.
But... but the competition is still going on.
She never forgot that she was in a competition.
She made it so clear to Meteor that power was the bridge to everything, and she was determined to be the first to succeed.
She had already boasted to Yin Hangu, so if she couldn't stand at the highest point of the heavens and win the heart of the Golden Crow Beauty, wouldn't she become a laughing stock again?
Her original plan was to wait for Mingguang to subdue the Xuanmen Patriarch first.
She knew Mingguang would definitely succeed; the man she had her eye on was exceptional in both mind and skill.
She deliberately consumed so much Soul-Guiding Incense at the Wenxin Pavilion, just to go with the flow and let the Xuanmen Patriarch use her to threaten Mingguang.
Mingguang will certainly not comply and will hasten the formation of the array.
Bitao naturally took advantage of the life force generated by their formation to break through her own realm, summon down lightning tribulation, and then plotted to obtain all the merits for herself.
To put it bluntly, she was planning to "reap the benefits already offered".
Just like in the first competition, she stabbed Mingguang in the back, causing the entire Ancient Immortal Clan to be suppressed by Youtian and delayed in returning to their places in the Star Boundary for several years.
All's fair in war. Even You Tian's claim of seeking Bi Tao's opinion on the merit-based immortal position was not actually a genuine intention to listen to her.
They were determined to form an alliance with the ancient immortals, but they didn't listen to her, so Bitao naturally had to teach them a lesson.
In the end, they will have gained nothing.
The only thing she miscalculated was Mingguang's feelings for her.
He hated Wei Danxin so much, and resented Bitao for mistaking him for Wei Danxin.
Even after the two had almost broken up, he still risked his life to save her, even at the cost of giving up the competition.
The peach blossoms were so sweet that even after being struck by lightning for so long, they didn't feel much pain.
According to Bitao's original plan, she would definitely be attacked after she returned to heaven after stealing everyone's merits, but she didn't care at all.
In a competition, there is no second place.
But because Mingguang "loves her to death," this stroke of genius has now turned Bitao into a "hero" who violated heavenly rules by forcibly summoning the Dharma Image in order to save everyone.
He truly achieved both fame and fortune, and perhaps even after his death, he could still enjoy both power and sex.
She was so happy that she couldn't bear to let go of Mingguang; she would hardly have another chance to hold Mingguang in her hands like this.
In their usual interactions, the two are strong-willed, like a rock against iron. If Bitao were to transform into a Dharma form and ask Mingguang to shrink so she could play with her, Mingguang would definitely not agree!
Therefore, even though Bitao could have dealt with the Xuanmen Patriarch long ago, she kept nagging him for so long.
Making him confess his crime was just a side effect; the real reason was to wait for Mingguang to wake up so that he could see him one last time.
Then let him watch himself die to save him.
We are powerless to do anything about it.
Although she misjudged the depth of Mingguang's feelings for her.
But she knew that even if someone like Mingguang was moved and admitted his feelings, after they passed away, their relationship would only change from a simple painful entanglement to a sweet and painful one due to their different positions.
No matter how much she felt sorry for him, there was still a little bit of something missing between her and Mingguang.
She wanted to add another handful of firewood.
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