togophonebook Chapter 121 Whoever wants to carry it, can carry it.
Chapter 121 Whoever wants to carry it, can carry it.
When the word "sin" pressed down on Tang Sanzang's head, Tang Sanzang did not retreat at first.
He looked up and glanced at it.
The large black characters resembled a tombstone, and inside, faces were still turning. Crying, cursing, and begging for mercy were all crammed together.
The mother's voice poured down from all directions.
"The source of pollution has been identified."
"Ballasting begins."
The scribe huddled behind the stone platform, his legs weak and his mouth trembling.
"It's over...it's over...this involves the entire Black Prison, anyone who gets involved will die..."
Sun Wukong stabbed him with his staff.
boom!
The character for "crime" only wobbled slightly, yet it didn't shatter.
The monkey immediately cursed.
"What a piece of junk!"
Chen Fan stopped halfway there.
wrong.
This is not about hitting someone.
This is catching the pot.
He knew that piece of rubbish on the second page of the sutra all too well.
Whoever acknowledges it, carries it.
Whoever has the thought of "I'll take the blame" will become the scapegoat for the fake protagonist.
Tang Sanzang understood as well.
He had just raised his hand, intending to take the pot as before, when his fingertips barely touched the edge of his robe before he stopped.
The next second, he flung his sleeves and started cursing.
"Fuck you."
"Whoever made this mistake should take the blame."
"This humble monk will not recite it."
As soon as he said that, the character "sin" in mid-air suddenly paused.
It felt like I'd hit a wall.
The entire quicksand hell hummed in response.
The transcriber's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"You...you actually won't admit it?"
Tang Sanzang stood with a cold face, his hands clasped together, more stable than anyone else.
"The scriptures are false, the accounts are filthy, and you created people."
"You want me to pay off your debts?"
"Are you worthy?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the word "sin" started jumping around erratically.
The black scriptures on it broke apart one by one, darting around like snakes, circling Tang Sanzang three times, but unable to find a place to land.
Chen Fan's eyes lit up.
It became.
The logic of the second page of the book was activated again.
The fake protagonist can die in someone else's place, provided someone is willing to take the role.
If Tang Sanzang doesn't accept it, then this set of things must go back to its source.
really.
A series of piercing cracking sounds suddenly rang out in mid-air.
Click. Click. Click.
The character for "sin" split into seven, then rolled back and rushed towards the unformed human faces inside the mother mold's abdomen.
The female model made a strange sound for the first time.
It wasn't a roar.
It was like a pot filled with boiling oil, and everyone inside was screaming together.
"Archiving error...archiving error..."
"Backup personality group access..."
"Surrogate channel redirection..."
Its belly ripped open suddenly.
One by one, "Sha Wujing" faces squeezed outwards.
Old, young, crazy, dull, crying, laughing.
They are all failure samples, all backup personalities.
That dark mass of sins was applied to them all without exception.
In an instant, the entire expanse of black sand exploded as if it had boiled.
"Ahhhhh—"
"It wasn't me!"
"I didn't do it!"
"Don't give it to me! Don't give it to me!"
The female mold's neck began to twist.
One circle to the left, one circle to the right.
The blank Buddhist prayer rings hanging there were falling down with a clattering sound.
Its large face remained calm, but two black slits had already appeared in its eye sockets, as if someone was tearing them apart.
Sun Wukong was amused when he saw this.
"Well, they've already brought trouble upon themselves with their own problems."
Pigsy charged forward with a rake in hand and smacked the mother's belly.
"I can't stand factories like this."
"They built it and then denied it."
boom!
The mother model's abdomen was torn open, leaving a large chunk.
More than a dozen unfinished clay figures fell out, some of them still moving, crawling as soon as they landed, making strange noises.
Chen Fan dodged the black sand while shouting at Sha Wujing.
"Old Sha!"
"Are you awake?"
Sha Wujing knelt on the ground, black smoke still rising from the shackles on his body, his chest heaving. He had been thrown into a daze by the primary and backup personalities, and now his face was covered in sweat, his teeth grinding together.
The female model is still calling.
"Wujing's archiving failed."
"Initiate the restructuring."
"Initiate recycling."
As soon as these words were spoken, all the clay figures that had fallen to the ground rushed towards Sha Wujing, like a pack of dogs smelling meat.
Yang Jian swept aside a section with his sword and shouted in a deep voice:
"Quickly disconnect its brain!"
"It's using a backup persona to cover up the debt. If this drags on any longer, Old Sha will have to be dragged back."
Sha Wujing raised his head.
He looked at the three-zhang-tall female model, his gaze gradually settling down.
He managed to suppress the earlier chaos.
He stretched out his hand.
He picked up the demon-slaying staff from the ground.
The moment the palm touched it, all the cracks on the staff lit up.
It's not golden light.
It's a dark yellowish-brown color.
Like old mud suddenly being stirred up from the bottom of a dried-up river.
Sha Wujing stood up.
step.
Two steps.
The black sand swirled towards his feet, but couldn't be rolled away.
The clay figures that rushed towards him exploded into clumps of broken shells upon impact.
The female model looked down at him, forcing a stiff smile.
"You are something I created."
"You can't go back to where you are."
Sha Wujing ignored it.
He just walked away.
When he was only ten steps away from the model, he suddenly stopped and touched the old marks on his neck.
It's like they're confirming something.
Then, he spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.
"fart."
"I was fished out of the quicksand river."
"This isn't a clay figure you molded."
The moment those words were spoken, there was a moment of silence.
The next second, Sha Wujing swung his staff with both hands and soared into the air.
There's no fancy facade.
It was a very hard downward strike.
"Open it!"
Boom!
The blow struck the female model directly between the eyebrows.
The entire original mold has a large crack running from head to toe.
Its large face froze at first, then shrunk to both sides. A black, iron-like core was revealed in its forehead, wrapped with Buddhist rings and numbered tags.
That's the mastermind.
"good!"
Sun Wukong's eyes lit up, and he flipped over to deliver another blow with his staff.
Pigsy also made a strange noise and stabbed inside.
"Smash it for me!"
boom! boom! boom!
The three of them bombarded the target in succession.
Sparks flew from the surface of the mainframe, and countless overlapping cries echoed from within. The backup personalities tried to retreat, but it was too late; the darkness and sin were trapped within them, turning against the mainframe.
The female model finally couldn't hold on any longer.
His entire body began to tremble.
The neck is tilted back, and the belly is tucked in, as if an invisible hand is tearing it into a ball inside.
"Archive corruption..."
"Structural disorder..."
"Requesting the old interface from the other side..."
Chen Fan had been waiting for this sentence.
He suddenly looked up and stared at the back of the female model.
There was an extremely thin black thread there, one end embedded in its spine, the other end following the stone wall, drilling deeper into the bottom of the prison.
He had guessed before that there was something else behind this run-down factory.
It's finally been revealed.
"Monkey King, hold on!"
Chen Fan pushed off with his feet and rushed forward.
The scribe screamed in fright when he saw him running in that direction.
"Don't touch it! That's the interface to the other side! Pulling it will blow up the whole prison!"
Chen Fan didn't even turn his head.
"Let's blast it then."
"I'm here today to demolish the factory."
He lunged at the stone wall, flipped his hand, took out the Broken Cause Hook from the system, and plunged it hard into the base of the black line.
laugh!
Like hooking a live snake.
The black lines twisted wildly, shooting upwards along his arm, chilling him to the bone.
Chen Fan felt a tightness in his chest, and his ears were instantly filled with a cacophony of noise.
"The seventh batch of Wujing templates has been discarded."
"Retain the third primary personality."
Reason: Stable, reversible, and observable.
Authorizer: Guanyin Proxy Interface
Chen Fan froze.
Guanyin?
Before he could take a closer look, the black line had already started to thrash back like crazy, trying to disappear back into the bottom of the prison.
Chen Fan gritted his teeth and used both hands to pull it out of the stone wall.
Snapped!
The black line broke in two.
One section of it shattered into a scattering of light in mid-air, from which rolled out a palm-sized piece of black jade.
The top is covered with dense records.
Chen Fan grabbed it and stuffed it into his arms.
At the same time, the entire quicksand black prison suddenly sank downwards.
First, the stone wall cracked.
Next, the ground collapsed.
One by one, the densely packed production tanks shut down. The black slurry in the tanks lost its traction and began to flow out haphazardly, bubbling up only semi-finished samples.
It has a human head and a snake's body.
It has three arms.
There's someone who looks like Sha Wujing (a character from Journey to the West), but calls out "Mother!"
There was another group that had just opened their eyes, still wearing number tags around their necks, and could barely stand.
They were initially bewildered.
Then they all turned their gazes toward the cracked mother mold.
Like a group of victims who finally realized who had wronged them.
"It...it's going to be gone?"
"We don't need to go back to the workshop?"
"Where's the door! Where's the door?!"
Just as one sample finished shouting, the other end of the bars suddenly exploded, and more failed samples rushed out, a dark mass that pounced on anything that could move.
The scribe tried to run away, but as soon as he turned around, he was pinned to the ground by two clay figures with missing arms, their robes torn to shreds.
"Don't arrest me!"
"I am the scribe! I am the recorder!"
A severed-faced specimen rode on his back, its voice hoarse.
"You're the one who remembers Lao Tzu's seven rejections, aren't you?"
"Come on, I'll make a note of this for you today."
The scribe cried out for his parents on the spot.
On the other side, the main brain of the mother model finally exploded.
boom!
The black iron core split into four pieces, and what exploded was not fire, but waves of sand. Countless old serial numbers and Buddhist rings swirled in the waves, striking the surrounding stone platforms and sending stone chips flying everywhere.
Sha Wujing stumbled when he landed.
Tang Sanzang rushed over and grabbed his arm.
"Wujing".
Sha Wujing took a couple of breaths, looked down at his palm, then at the collapsing mother statue, and his throat bobbed.
He didn't cry.
He grinned.
"Master."
"This time, it's not them writing who I am."
Tang Sanzang nodded emphatically.
Sun Wukong stood on the ruins, carrying his staff, and roared at the surroundings.
"Listen up, everyone!"
"That lousy factory is gone!"
"Who would want to go back to being a sacrificial animal? They'd be digging their own grave."
"Those who want to live, rush out!"
That's very effective.
The previously chaotic failed samples suddenly all started moving.
Someone is banging on the door.
Someone is dragging people away.
Some people were carrying unfinished products that hadn't even been opened yet, and they were running out.
The entire Black Prison has completely rebelled.
Pigsy laughed loudly as he smashed the lock.
"Cool!"
"I've disliked this place for a long time."
Yang Jian raised his hand and cleaved open the outermost stone gate with a single stroke.
The sluice gate burst open, and a cloud of dusty wind rushed in.
That's the exit.
Chen Fan stood on the half-collapsed stone platform and glanced around.
The entire production line was paralyzed.
The master mold is gone.
The old interface on the other side is also broken.
This vote was a resounding success.
A system notification tone immediately followed.
[Ding! The Quicksand Black Prison character factory has been destroyed. Rewards are being calculated.]
[Ding! You have gained 200,000 Journey to the West Points.]
[Ding! Obtained one fragment of Black Prison access.]
[Ding! Received a Guanyin agent interface log.]
Just as Chen Fan's lips curled into a slight smile, the black jade piece in his arms suddenly became hot.
A fragmented light screen popped out on its own.
There were only a few lines of text on it.
"The request to delete Sha Wujing's third personality has been rejected."
"Reserved opinion: This personality type possesses self-stabilizing abilities; complete coverage is not recommended."
"Note: Leave a wisp of true sand, so that it may awaken to its true nature later."
The signature did not include the full name.
There is only one word.
观。
The smile on Chen Fan's face vanished instantly.
Sun Wukong jumped down from the ruins.
"Are you coming or not?"
Chen Fan did not reply immediately.
He stared at the few lines of text, and gently tapped the edge of the black jade piece with his finger.
Guanyin did not completely eliminate Sha Wujing.
It wasn't a mistake.
She kept it herself.
So whose side is she on?
Just then, a low thud came from the deepest part of the collapse.
It's not like a stone falling to the ground.
It sounded like someone was downstairs, gently knocking on the door.
Chapter 221 The Pig Monk Meets
The knock at the deepest point of the collapse was very soft.
But the people present all heard it.
Sun Wukong made the first move.
He thrust his stick into the pile of rubble, then flicked it upwards, sending the entire patch of black sand mixed with broken bricks flying out.
A narrow slit was visible below.
A hand first emerged from the crack.
My hands were covered in sand.
Next was half a face.
The man coughed twice, spitting out a mouthful of black mud. When he looked up, he didn't look at anyone else, but instead looked at Tang Sanzang.
"Master."
Tang Sanzang stood at the edge of the pit, still holding the black jade piece in his hand, and paused for a moment upon hearing the sound.
"Wujing?"
The person below gave a slight, forced smile.
"it's me."
"This time, it really is me."
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes.
That's a pretty direct way of putting it.
It's not "Sha Wujing" (Sandy), it's "the real me".
This shows that this guy also knows that those shells and split souls are not the same thing as him.
Sun Wukong held his golden cudgel horizontally downwards.
"Come up."
Sha Wujing grabbed the staff and used the momentum to flip himself out of the pit.
When he landed, his knees wobbled, and he almost fell back to his knees. Tang Sanzang reached out to help him up, and he didn't flinch, but just looked down at his wrist.
There is also a very faint number printed on it.
It looks like it was burned.
He raised his hand and rubbed it a couple of times, but it didn't come off, and his face darkened even more.
Zhu Ganglie, standing to the side with his rake, clicked his tongue first.
"They actually managed to climb back."
"You're pretty tough."
Sha Wujing turned his head to look at him and stared at him for two breaths.
"You didn't die either."
Pigsy was amused.
"I like hearing that."
"If you don't die, there will be a second half."
Chen Fan didn't interrupt.
He first looked at Tang Sanzang, then at Sha Wujing.
The black characters binding Tang Sanzang had mostly dissipated, likely because the binding force broke after the original mold shattered. The fact that Sha Wujing was able to climb out on his own indicates that his dominant personality was still intact and not weak.
This trip to the Black Prison completed the last two pieces of the puzzle for the westward journey.
Of course, this is all on the premise that these two don't back out at the last minute.
Chen Fan grinned.
"Alright, stop standing by the pit reminiscing."
"Retreat first."
"This place is riddled with holes from being bombed. If we don't leave now, will the higher-ups come and take everything?"
The group didn't stop, rushing out along the cracked side passage of the Black Prison.
The road was littered with collapsed metal frames and broken molds.
Yang Jian brought up the rear, while Xiaotian Dog sniffed and cursed all the way, its tail fur bristling.
"What bad luck, what bad luck!"
"This lousy place reeks of old ghosts; it's making my nose hurt."
Pigsy, carrying two buckets of immortal food he had just smuggled from an abandoned warehouse, walked surprisingly fast.
As he walked, he suddenly spoke to Chen Fan.
"Let me ask you something first."
"After we go back, if we win, will we share the spoils?"
Upon hearing this, even Yang Jian turned around and glanced at him.
That's a really direct question.
Not covering it at all.
Chen Fan actually prefers this kind of thing.
I'll just say what I'm after, so you don't have to guess.
He laughed and said, "Divide."
"How do we divide it?"
Pigsy narrowed his eyes.
"Let's get this straight, I don't want any empty promises."
"Don't give me that talk about brotherhood or working together for a great cause."
"I'm tired of hearing it."
"I want tangible things. My name, territory, cultivation techniques, warehouses, and my share in the Heavenly Court's ledgers—I want everything."
Sun Wukong walked ahead, carrying his staff, without turning his head.
"You have quite an appetite."
Zhu Ganglie spat.
"When I was working for them back then, I had small ambitions, and what happened?"
"Tianpeng is gone, Marshal is gone, and even the word 'pig' is stuck on my forehead."
"Old Pig has learned his lesson now."
"Negotiate the price first, then serve."
Chen Fan nodded.
"OK."
"Whoever puts in the effort gets to take it."
"You got your name back, so it's on you."
"From now on, we will clear the granaries, deliver the goods to the treasury, divide the land, and distribute the profits according to our contributions."
"I don't make empty promises."
"If you don't believe me, you can leave now."
Zhu Ganglie didn't stop walking, but a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"That's something to listen to."
"That old pig will follow along for a while."
"If I still have a chance to win, I'll keep betting."
"What if we lose our chance to win—"
Sun Wukong finally turned around and grinned.
"Then run faster."
"If you run too slow, I'll knock you first."
Zhu Ganglie rolled his eyes.
"Monkey, still the same old rascal."
When they burst out of the Black Prison rift, the sky outside was already turning gray.
A group of demon soldiers were already waiting on the mountain path outside Huaguo Mountain.
As soon as Niu Xiaosheng saw the person return, he shouted, "You're back!"
Then he saw Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, and his eyes lit up.
"Wow, the roster is even deeper now."
"These two are the new recruits?"
Pigsy slammed the bucket of immortal food onto the ground.
"Newly received?"
"Can't you speak properly?"
"Old Pig is returning to the main battlefield."
Sha Wujing didn't respond to that, but just glanced around.
Three layers of fortifications have been built around Huaguo Mountain.
Both visible and covert sentries were present.
There are also formations at the mountain pass.
It's no longer the same kind of den of scattered demons.
After reading it, he muttered, "It's better than before."
Niu Xiaosheng was immediately unconvinced.
"What does 'decent' mean?"
"We're not a makeshift team anymore."
"The three warehouses in the mountains are all open: an armory, a granary, and an intelligence warehouse."
"If you had arrived two days later, my father wouldn't have even been able to secure the offshore shipping lanes—"
The Bull Demon King slapped him down on the back of the head.
"Say less."
Niu Xiaosheng covered his head and stepped back, muttering, "That's how it is."
Seeing the lively scene, Chen Fan felt a little more at ease.
The man and horse finally reunited.
Starting from Wuzhishan, the group has been pieced together from various sources, and today, the "Anti-Westward Journey Group" has officially taken shape.
Monkey, Tang Sanzang, White Dragon Horse, Pigsy, Sandy.
It's different from the original.
None of these people were there to obtain Buddhist scriptures.
What they want is to flip the table.
Back at the temporary meeting cave on Flower Fruit Mountain, as soon as everyone sat down, Sha Wujing spoke first.
"I have one too."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Sha Wujing looked at Chen Fan, and then at Sun Wukong.
"Don't assign me the scapegoat role again."
"Whoever tries to shift the blame to me, I'm leaving first."
That's even harsher than what Zhu Bajie said.
Even the Bull Demon King was amused.
"Your request isn't high."
Sha Wujing shook his head.
No, you don't understand.
"I memorized enough during my years at Liushahe."
"I was the one who ate people, but I didn't do all the accounting."
"Many times, when the pot was turned on its back, I didn't even have a chance to open my mouth."
"I'm back this time for only one thing."
"I'll remember whoever screwed me over."
After listening, Chen Fan did not answer immediately.
He first looked at Tang Sanzang.
Tang Sanzang sighed softly, which was taken as tacit agreement.
Sun Wukong slammed his fist on the table.
"OK."
"From now on, whoever makes you take the blame, I'll beat them up first."
He spoke too quickly and too harshly.
Pigsy burst out laughing.
"That's a good sentence."
"Monkey, at least you're acting like a leader."
Sun Wukong raised an eyebrow.
"Finally?"
Zhu Ganglie coughed.
"A slip of the tongue."
The atmosphere in the room immediately relaxed a lot.
Chen Fan struck while the iron was hot, spreading the black jade piece, the third page of the mission scroll, and the original sin scroll on the table.
"Everyone's here, let's have a make-up lesson."
"Since you two weren't here, there are many things we don't know."
Zhu Ganglie's face turned sour the moment he saw that Juanzong.
"Is it that same old Buddhist rhetoric again?"
"almost."
Chen Fan unfolded the third page.
There weren't many words on it, but they were all written in blood, as if squeezed out from between bones.
Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing both leaned closer to take a look.
Tang Sanzang spoke slowly from the side.
He spoke very briefly.
There was no chanting or beating around the bush.
Starting from Wuzhi Mountain, to Bailong joining the team, to the Black Prison Mother Model, and then to those dirty accounts in the case file, let's sort them out one by one.
When Zhu Ganglie heard the part about how his name was changed and he was registered back then, he gritted his teeth.
"really."
"I knew those bastards were up to no good."
Tang Sanzang turned to the next page.
"You're not the only one recorded here."
"Tianpeng, Juanlian, Bailong, and even myself are all in the book."
Sha Wujing stared at that page, the veins on the back of his hand bulging out little by little.
"Name, duties, crime, punishment."
"They had already lined up."
"Who should be mad, who should be degraded, and who should be used as tools are all clearly stated."
No one in the room made a sound.
This is not speculation.
These are real accounts.
Pigsy suddenly looked up at Tang Sanzang.
"So you don't follow their rules anymore?"
Tang Sanzang closed the scroll.
"I chant scriptures."
I won't endorse them.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Ganglie stared at him for a couple of moments, then suddenly nodded.
"OK."
"Then how can this monk be allowed to live?"
Sha Wujing also slowly exhaled.
"Since everything's out in the open, I'll ask one more question."
"Where to attack next?"
Chen Fan pointed his finger at the map.
"Let's stabilize Huaguo Mountain first."
"Someone's coming from outside."
Yang Jian leaned against the cave entrance and said calmly, "It's not just the people who came."
"We've come to demand an explanation."
He had barely finished speaking when a loud explosion suddenly erupted outside.
It's not thunder.
Like a piece of jade falling from the sky.
The entire Flower and Fruit Mountain trembled.
Niu Xiaosheng was the first to rush out.
"Who is it!"
Everyone got up and went outside the cave.
A white crack appeared in the sky above Flower Fruit Mountain.
Gold threads hang down from the white seams.
A jade scroll hangs in mid-air, unfurling itself.
The glow of the sunset made all the demon soldiers on the mountain unable to lift their heads.
The little demons had barely uttered half a curse when their mouths were silenced by being pressed shut.
When Zhu Bajie saw the jade scroll, his expression changed instantly.
"Imperial Edict of Heaven".
Sha Wujing also said in a deep voice, "It's not a clone relaying the order."
"It is a genuine imperial edict."
When the jade scroll was unfolded, there were only a few lines of text inside.
The characters are small.
But everyone on the mountain can see it clearly.
"Imperial edict to Chen Fan, Sun Wukong, and Tang Sanzang."
"Go to the Lingxiao Palace immediately."
"Confronting matters concerning the Black Prison, the Abandoned Warehouse, and the Book of Crimes."
"Those who disobey orders will be punished for the grave crime of defying Heaven."
As the last line fell, the entire scroll of the imperial edict vibrated with a "hum".
The Yamaguchi formation cracked three times on the spot.
The Bull Demon King's face darkened.
"What a grand display."
Niu Xiaosheng was so angry he jumped up and down.
"A confrontation?"
"They still have the nerve to talk about a confrontation?"
Zhu Ganglie stared at the jade edict, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"This is not a test."
"This is roll call."
"The Jade Emperor knows that we have dug up the things."
Sha Wujing added in a low voice.
"And we know who's in charge."
The surrounding demon soldiers stirred.
To ascend to the Lingxiao Palace?
That place is so high that even many celestial officials, let alone demons, would never be qualified to stand there in their entire lives.
Now they just call out names directly.
This is not a request.
This is a knife placed at the doorway.
Tang Sanzang gazed at the jade edict in the sky, his fingers twirling the prayer beads. The beads spun halfway before stopping.
He didn't speak.
Sun Wukong laughed.
First, he chuckled softly.
Then the laughter grew louder and louder.
He laughed so hard that the gold threads on the jade edict trembled.
"it is good."
"Very good."
"I, Old Sun, am annoyed that they're hiding too far away."
"This time, he opened the door himself."
Chen Fan looked up at the scroll of imperial edict, his eyes gradually turning cold.
They came so quickly.
The secrets of the Black Prison had just been revealed when a decree was issued from the heavens.
Although it's called a confrontation, everyone knows that this trip up there is most likely a trap.
But if they don't go, the charges will be confirmed on the spot.
Before he could speak, a system notification suddenly popped into his mind.
[Detection detected that the Heavenly Court is directly responding to the summons]
[Side quests have been updated: Ascending the Throne, Overturning the Verdict, Turning the Tables]
[Reward Preview: Complete the Original Sin Page Clue, Fragment of the Heavenly Register]
Chen Fan's eyelids twitched.
They actually have it.
He slowly exhaled and reached out to grab the scroll of jade edict.
The golden thread immediately wrapped around his wrist, burning hot like fire.
Chen Fan did not relax.
He looked up and grinned at the sky.
"Okay."
"A confrontation, is that it?"
"Then let's go up."
"I'd like to see who will be the first to be speechless in the Lingxiao Palace."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the jade edict suddenly rolled up on its own.
Before rolling it back, half of a vermilion seal was visible at the very bottom of the jade shaft.
It is not the Jade Emperor's seal.
It looks like someone added it later.
The seal has only two characters.
Guanyin.
Chapter 222 The Jade Emperor's Summoning
The jade edict was still burning hot in Chen Fan's hands.
That half of the vermilion seal was as glaring as a needle.
Zhu Ganglie leaned over for a look and smacked his lips first.
"Wow, quite the impressive outfit."
"This time it's not a messenger like Li Tianwang, it's a genuine Heavenly Court document."
The Bull Demon King snatched the jade edict, flipped it over a couple of times, and his face darkened.
"Imperial Seal".
"It really is an edict from the Jade Emperor."
"This is no longer a test."
"This is blatantly asking people to go up there."
Sun Wukong, carrying his golden cudgel, grinned.
"Go ahead and call."
"Old Sun wasn't satisfied with the beating."
"Let's go to the Lingxiao Palace and ask them directly."
Sha Wujing stood to the side, his face still somewhat pale.
After his ordeal in the Black Prison, he had just stabilized his true sand, and his speech was still a little hoarse.
"We can't just look at the Jade Emperor."
"Since it's a handwritten edict, it means that the highest levels of the Heavenly Court are about to speak."
"The more this is the case, the more we need to guard against ambushes."
Yang Jian remained silent.
He stared at the golden pattern on the jade edict for a long time, then suddenly reached out and gently touched the edge of the imperial seal.
A very faint layer of Buddhist light was created by his fingertips.
Everyone's expression changed.
Zhu Ganglie cursed directly.
"I knew it wouldn't be that clean."
Yang Jian said calmly, "Don't rush."
"It was not the Buddha's seal."
"Only Buddhist monks have come across this edict."
Chen Fan took the jade edict back and looked at it again.
The more he looked, the brighter his eyes became.
"This is actually a good thing."
The Bull Demon King frowned.
"Good my ass."
"This is the Feast at Hongmen."
"Going up is easy, but what if you can't get down?"
Pigsy patted his belly and laughed.
"Old Niu, you're just too tight-lipped."
"Even a trip to the Lingxiao Palace will at least get you a decent meal."
"Those people in Heaven usually serve celestial wines and fruits at their banquets; it's not a loss to eat a meal for free."
The Bull Demon King glared at him.
"What else is on your mind besides eating?"
Zhu Ganglie snorted.
"And some even ran away."
"Something's not right, I'm the first to run."
Sun Wukong rolled his eyes at him.
"waste."
Pigsy immediately retorted.
"Monkey, if you're so capable, then don't try to steal the peaches from the table later."
"I still remember how you stole peaches back then."
"Give me a plate, and I'll lick it clean, down to the bottom."
Seeing that the two were about to argue again, Chen Fan raised his hand to stop them.
"Let's get down to business first."
The crowd quieted down.
Chen Fan unfolded the jade edict and said directly, "The specifications have changed this time."
"Previously, the Correctional Division would do it secretly."
"Further ahead, Li Jing, Nezha, and the others split up to probe the area."
"This time it's different."
"The Jade Emperor personally issued an edict to explain one thing."
Yang Jian took over.
"The true form of Tathagata has not yet appeared."
"The Buddhist sect is still enduring it."
"The Heavenly Court must make its stance clear first."
Chen Fan nodded.
"right."
"This isn't an invitation for us to go up."
"This is a showdown."
Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King clenched his fists so tightly they cracked.
"Then we absolutely cannot go."
"They have more people above them, so the land still belongs to them."
"If you go, you'll be surrounded on all sides; no matter how many mouths you have, you won't be able to explain yourself."
Sha Wujing said in a low voice, "We have no choice but to go."
"If the Jade Emperor issues an edict and the person publicly refuses it, the Heavenly Court can immediately pin a crime on them."
"At that time, it won't be a confrontation, it will be a direct encirclement and annihilation."
Zhu Ganglie stroked his chin, unusually serious.
"There's another problem."
"The fact that they've put it on the table means they've already prepared their arguments."
"If you don't have any solid evidence, going up there will just be handing them leverage."
Chen Fan smiled.
"Who says I don't have anything substantial?"
He flicked his sleeve.
Several items were placed on the stone platform.
That tattered scripture.
The archive list brought out from the Black Prison's main vault.
There was also that black jade piece with the character "观" (guan) inscribed on it.
Finally, he pulled out a wad of golden thread sealed with talismanic cords from his pocket.
That was a half-strand of the imperial edict's markings that had been forcibly torn off when the edict had wrapped around his wrist.
Yang Jian's eyes twitched when he saw it.
"You even kept this?"
Chen Fan scoffed.
"You want to give me a perm for nothing?"
"If you want me to go up there, you need to leave some evidence."
He laid out the items one by one.
"The Black Prison Mother Model is a dirty job that neither the Heavenly Court nor the Buddhist sect can get rid of."
"The archived roster matches the name database."
"The mapping of the scriptures can match the old scripture lines on Tang Sanzang's side."
"And this imperial edict pattern."
"If anyone in the Lingxiao Palace tries to play word games, I will expose them on the spot."
Pigsy's eyes lit up.
"Okay, Chen Fan."
"You're not going to a banquet."
"You're going to flip the table."
Sun Wukong spun the golden cudgel on his shoulder.
"Old Sun likes it."
The Bull Demon King still wouldn't budge.
"You're all crazy."
"What place is that?"
"Lingxiao Palace".
"With the Jade Emperor in charge, all the gods and immortals are present."
"Are you at a restaurant on the street corner?"
Chen Fan turned to look at him.
"Old Niu, let me ask you something."
What are they most afraid of right now?
The Bull Demon King was stunned for a moment.
"Afraid of us?"
"wrong."
Chen Fan pointed his finger at the scroll of jade edict.
"What they fear most is that things will completely spiral out of control."
"The Heavenly Court must step in first."
"This shows that they don't want Buddhism to take the lead."
"In other words, they are afraid too."
After that sentence, there was a two-breath silence in the arena.
Yang Jian spoke slowly.
He's right.
"The more critical the moment, the less likely the Jade Emperor is to immediately turn hostile."
"At least not on the surface."
"What he wants is a pretext, a pretext that can suppress both Buddhism and the Heavenly Court."
Sha Wujing added a sentence.
"So this time, we can actually go."
"As long as we bring enough supplies."
Zhu Ganglie immediately raised his hand.
I second that.
"We'll eat at the banquet while we're at it."
The Bull Demon King was so angry that his nose bulged.
"You're talking nonsense."
"Are you eyeing the banquet?"
Zhu Ganglie was perfectly justified.
"Otherwise what?"
"To be taken to such a high-class place, is it reasonable not to provide food?"
Sun Wukong ignored him and looked directly at Chen Fan.
"You decide."
Chen Fan didn't rush to speak.
He picked up the book and turned to the pages with the heaviest reflections.
The words on it twisted slowly like insects.
It has the same aura of sin as those in the dark prison.
This is a hammer.
If you actually took it to the Lingxiao Palace and smashed it, someone would be left with a bloody head.
Just as Chen Fan closed the book, a little mist suddenly rose in the air.
The fog came quickly and dissipated quickly.
Everyone present held their breath.
They were all too familiar with that aura.
Guanyin.
Sure enough, a blurry figure appeared in the fog.
I only stood there for a moment.
Even the face wasn't fully visible.
The Bull Demon King immediately took half a step back, and his demonic energy surged up.
Sun Wukong held his staff horizontally.
"You dare to come again?"
The figure ignored him and only looked at Chen Fan.
The sound was very soft.
"go."
Chen Fan narrowed his eyes.
"Whose side are you on?"
Guanyin did not answer, but only left a sentence.
"Inside the Lingxiao Palace."
"The most dangerous one is not the Jade Emperor."
After he finished speaking, the fog dissipated.
Clean and tidy.
It's as if it never happened.
Zhu Ganglie swallowed hard, his voice lowering.
"That's an unlucky thing to say."
"If even the Jade Emperor isn't the most dangerous, then who could it be?"
The Bull Demon King's face darkened even more.
"I told you I couldn't go."
"If someone like Guanyin (the Bodhisattva of Compassion) specifically came out to warn us, there must be a trap inside."
Yang Jian looked up at the sky, his eyes turning cold.
"The Jade Emperor is not the only one who can sit in the center of the Lingxiao Palace."
"Whether Laozi will be there is hard to say."
"Whether Venus will hand over the knife is hard to say."
"There's also a group of old guys who don't show up often."
"Once they open their mouths, they cause far more trouble than Li Jing and his ilk."
Chen Fan smiled.
"The more they say that, the more we have to go."
"Now that everyone's here, I don't have to search for them one by one."
He carefully put away the scriptures and stuffed the archive list into his pocket.
The black jade piece was placed separately on the left sleeve.
The imperial edict pattern then wrapped around the inside of the wrist.
"Sha Wujing, keep an eye on the atmosphere here."
"There's an ambush; report it first."
"Old Niu, don't rush too fast."
"If a real fight breaks out, you'll be stuck at the gate."
"Bajie, you take care of the escape route."
Zhu Ganglie immediately objected.
"Why am I the backup plan?"
"With my physique, my aura, and my belly, I'm clearly designed for a head-on charge."
Chen Fan glanced at him.
"Because you run fast."
Zhu Ganglie opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a word for a long time.
Sun Wukong burst out laughing.
Yang Jian even managed a rare slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Even Sha Wujing chuckled softly.
The Bull Demon King said in a muffled voice, "And what about you?"
Chen Fan unfolded the jade edict again and tossed it forward.
Golden light immediately spread out a path to the heavens.
He stepped forward without looking back.
"I'll go talk to them."
"Didn't they want a confrontation?"
"Then let them listen to their fill."
Sun Wukong was the second to follow.
"That doesn't make sense, Old Sun is just adding insult to injury."
Yang Jian, leading his celestial hound, also embarked on the celestial journey.
The Bull Demon King grumbled and cursed, but still went up.
Zhu Ganglie followed along, muttering to himself.
"If there are any seats available, remember to save me a good spot near the front."
Sha Wujing walked at the back, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings.
The road to heaven ascends very quickly.
The mountains and rivers below recede into the distance, layer by layer.
The sea of clouds was parted by golden light, revealing the grand hall in front.
Lingxiao Palace.
It was even more imposing than when Chen Fan had seen it from afar last time.
The palace gates were wide open.
The two rows of divine generals stood ramrod straight, their faces expressionless.
There was no noise outside the door.
There was no reprimand.
The quieter it is, the more it resembles a knife sheathed.
Chen Fan walked to the door and paused for a moment.
The two divine generals on either side turned to look at him.
His gaze was like a nail.
But no one dared to stop them.
Because the scroll in his hand contained a personal edict from the Jade Emperor.
Venus stood inside the door, his face still bearing that same kind, good-natured smile.
The more pleasant the smile, the more annoying it is.
"Gentlemen, thank you for waiting."
"His Majesty is already in the palace."
Sun Wukong sneered.
"Old man, your smile is uglier than your cry this time."
Even with a slight pull, Venus's dough still made way.
"please."
Chen Fan stepped into the hall.
As soon as he entered, he sensed something was wrong.
It's too quiet.
It was so quiet that even the sound of shoes stepping on the jade bricks was exceptionally clear.
The celestial officials were lined up on both sides of the hall.
Li Jing is here.
Nezha is here.
The Four Celestial Masters are here.
Even some of the senior officials who rarely show their faces have arrived.
The imperial throne above was hidden behind a beaded curtain.
I can't see the face clearly.
But that oppressive aura was real.
The entire hall seemed to be weighed down by a celestial stone.
Just as Zhu Ganglie was about to look up to find a seat, the laziness on his face vanished in the next instant.
The Bull Demon King also suddenly stopped.
Yang Jian's eyes darkened instantly.
Even Sun Wukong took the golden cudgel off his shoulder.
Because it's right in the center of Lingxiao Palace.
There was a coffin on the table.
It's neither a jade coffin nor a gold coffin.
It was a black coffin.
The coffin was covered with sealing talismans.
The talisman paper had darkened, and nine chains were pressed down on it.
It's as if they're afraid something inside will crawl out.
In front of that black coffin, there was a memorial tablet.
There were only three words written on it.
The pilgrim on the pilgrimage.
Chapter 223 The Black Coffin of Lingxiao
The Lingxiao Palace was eerily quiet.
The black coffin was placed right in the center.
It was a size larger than an ordinary coffin, its corners wrapped in black gold, while the body looked as if it had been burned, its surface charred black, with dried gold paint still stuck in the cracks. Nine chains pressed down from all four sides, driven into the jade bricks. Each chain bore a different mark.
The seal of Heaven.
The seal of Buddhism.
There were a few more dishes that even Yang Jian glanced at a few more times.
Unlike things nowadays.
Older.
Even dirtier.
It's like it was dug out from some shameful old story.
The memorial tablet was placed in front of the coffin.
Only the three words "pilgrim" were written.
No name or surname.
The more it's like this, the more it sends chills down your spine.
Zhu Bajie swallowed hard and whispered, "Old Chen, isn't it a bit unlucky to have this thing in the Lingxiao Palace?"
Sun Wukong slammed his golden cudgel on the ground, his eyes fixed on the black coffin, his voice deep and resonant: "Bad luck is nothing. I, Old Sun, want to know, who dares to place a memorial tablet for a dead person in this place, and only write 'The Journey to the West' on it?"
None of the immortals in the hall responded.
Venus stood to one side, his face tense.
The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King lowered his eyes, neither looking at the coffin nor at Chen Fan, as if afraid of getting involved with something.
Yang Jian glanced around and suddenly smiled.
"Everyone's here today."
"It seems this isn't a confrontation, it's a showdown."
From the high place, the Jade Emperor finally spoke.
"Chen Fan, didn't you want to get to the bottom of this?"
"I will show you today."
After those words were spoken, the hall fell even quieter.
Chen Fan looked up at the throne.
The Jade Emperor didn't beat around the bush; he opened the door and smashed it down.
"I am aware that the Director of the Bureau of Corrections has overstepped his authority."
"I am aware that Lingshan is using the Delete Realm to carry out its actions."
"I am well aware of the mess you have uncovered during your investigation."
Upon hearing these words, the expressions of many celestial officials in the hall changed drastically.
The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King suddenly looked up.
Venus's beard trembled.
Pigsy grinned: "Wow, the sun must have risen in the west today! This guy has finally admitted his mistake."
The Jade Emperor ignored him and only stared at Chen Fan.
"I don't care how much trouble you cause."
"Whether it's Flower Fruit Mountain or the Black Prison, no matter how much chaos they cause, I can handle it all."
"There is only one thing I care about."
He raised his hand and pointed to the black coffin.
"Who will ultimately get their hands on the eukaryotes?"
Chen Fan's eyelids twitched.
coming.
Everyone in front was fighting and scrambling, talking about rules, order, and the big picture.
At this point, finally no one was pretending anymore.
That's what we're fighting over.
Eukaryotes.
The Jade Emperor's voice was not loud, but his words were as firm as nails driven into the ground.
"Because it contains living evidence left behind after the first deletion of the boundary."
These words immediately caused an uproar in the hall.
"First time deleting boundaries?"
"Living evidence?"
"How could that be? It was cleaned up long ago..."
The immortals whispered amongst themselves, but the more they tried to suppress their voices, the more chaotic it became.
Several senior officials turned pale.
It was as if I had heard a name that should never be mentioned again.
Chen Fan, however, stared intently at the black coffin.
First time deleting boundaries.
Then it wouldn't be the most recent round.
It was even earlier.
In other words, this is not the first time they have sought knowledge from the West.
Sun Wukong's expression gradually turned cold.
"You guys really know how to have fun."
"Deleting it once wasn't enough, can there be a first time?"
The Jade Emperor looked at him, but was not angry.
"You think that the golden headband on your head is really the first thing prepared for you?"
Sun Wukong's eyes narrowed, and a ring of golden light instantly erupted from his golden cudgel.
Say it again.
Yang Jian stepped to the side, his hand already resting on the three-pointed double-edged sword.
The Bull Demon King also raised his aura.
The atmosphere in Lingxiao Palace suddenly became extremely tense.
The Jade Emperor, however, remained the same.
"I summoned you here today not to fight another battle."
"I'm telling you, this coffin must not be opened."
"It can't be opened, at least not now."
Chen Fan finally spoke: "The reason."
The Jade Emperor stared at him, speaking each word clearly.
"If it opens, the legitimacy of the Heavenly Court will collapse first."
"Then, Lingshan won't be able to escape either."
"After that, the three realms will be thrown into chaos."
Pigsy was amused.
"After all that talk, it's just that you guys are scared."
"We're afraid people will find out that the skin you're wearing was peeled off dead people."
The immortals' expressions grew even more grim.
Someone wanted to reprimand them, but swallowed the words back.
This is a huge matter.
Whoever dares to take the job recklessly will become the scapegoat.
Chen Fan took two steps forward and stopped in front of the black coffin.
Upon closer inspection, the seals on the coffin appeared even more sinister.
The words on it weren't complete; it looked as if someone had scraped off a layer. Newly written seals pressed against the old words, which were still seeping out. Like ink, or perhaps blood. If you got close, you could hear a very faint friction sound, like someone scratching the wood with their fingernails inside a coffin.
Chen Fan glanced down at the memorial tablet, then looked up again.
"Since you've come this far..."
"Then let me see the evidence first."
"After you've read this, let's talk about eukaryotes."
The Jade Emperor shook his head.
"no."
"You're not qualified to watch now."
Chen Fan smiled.
"I'm not qualified?"
"I uncovered the secrets of the Correctional Department."
"I tore open the breach in the deletion barrier."
"I smashed the master mold from under the black prison."
"You think you can just sit up there and say no and expect me to hand over the true core?"
His voice wasn't loud, but it could be heard clearly in the hall.
Many of the celestial officials twitched at the corners of their mouths.
This is not talking back.
This is blatant disrespect.
A chill finally crept into the Jade Emperor's eyes.
"Chen Fan, the fact that I'm willing to talk to you is already giving you a lot of face."
"Don't really think of yourself as the one playing the game."
Chen Fan shrugged.
"What a coincidence."
"I hate it when people try to put me down by using their power."
Sun Wukong walked up to him, hoisted the staff back onto his shoulder, and grinned.
"Well said."
"If Old Chen wants to see it, he has to see it today."
Yang Jian didn't say anything, but simply moved his position forward half a step.
The Bull Demon King was even more direct, spitting out two streams of white vapor from his nostrils.
"Whoever tries to stop you will get hit first."
A surge of air rose in the hall.
A group of civil and imperial officials retreated.
Several of them felt their legs go weak.
Just then, the sky suddenly darkened.
It's not a dark cloud.
It is Buddha's light.
The golden imperial edict pressed down from the top of the hall, like a mountain, hanging directly above the black coffin.
Before the decree was fully issued, the sound of chanting filled the hall.
"By the decree of the Great Sun Tathagata."
"The fundamental nature of eukaryotic nuclear energy must not be allowed to leak out."
"Immediately hand it over to Lingshan for safekeeping."
"Those who violate this rule will be considered to be disrupting the order."
The sound was not made by one person.
It was like a group of Buddhas speaking at the same time.
Many celestial officials in the hall knelt down on the spot.
The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King gritted his teeth and stubbornly refused to kneel, but his knees pressed down half an inch.
Pigsy cursed.
"Here we go again."
Sun Wukong looked up, his eyes filled with ferocity.
"Baldy, who are you betting on?"
The Jade Emperor's expression also turned sour.
This decree from Mount Ling clearly shows that they don't take the Heavenly Court seriously.
They directly stole the true core right in front of Lingxiao Palace.
This is a slap in the face.
And it was a fierce, all-out effort.
The Jade Emperor raised his hand, and a phantom image of an imperial seal suddenly appeared, heading straight up.
"This is the Lingxiao Palace."
"It is not Lingshan's place to give orders."
The moment the imperial seal appeared, the entire hall trembled.
On one side is the Buddha's decree.
On one side is Diwei.
Two forces were pressing down on the black coffin.
next moment.
Click.
A very soft sound.
Like some old thing that can't hold on any longer.
All eyes turned to him.
The black coffin moved.
It's not an illusion.
It really moved.
First, the coffin lid trembled slightly.
Then, all nine chains tightened simultaneously, emitting a piercing screeching sound. The sealing talismans pressing against the coffin bulged one after another, as if air was pushing against them.
Venus exclaimed, "Oh no! The simultaneous pressure of two powers has startled it!"
"Back off!"
The Jade Emperor shouted.
The immortals retreated in a flash.
Some people ran so fast that they even lost their official hats.
Pigsy jumped back as well, not forgetting to grumble, "Your most treasured possessions have quite a temper."
Chen Fan did not back down.
Sun Wukong didn't retreat either.
Yang Jian looked up at the black coffin; his third eye had already cracked open.
"Something inside has woken up."
The Bull Demon King's Adam's apple bobbed.
"It's not the aura of a corpse."
"Like a living person."
That's more frightening than anything else.
If there is a corpse in the coffin, it means that old scores can still be settled.
If the person in the coffin is alive, that's a different story.
This indicates that the first attempt to delete the boundary was not completely successful.
The Jade Emperor's palms tightened.
Clearly, even he hadn't expected this to happen.
The Buddhist decree from high above continued to press down.
Even the illusory image of the imperial seal refused to yield.
Neither side is willing to back down.
The black coffin shook more and more violently.
The charred blackened surface of the coffin began to peel away piece by piece, revealing even more ancient wood grain beneath. The wood wasn't black; it was a dark red, as if it had been soaking for many years, the color deeply ingrained. Half of some old characters were also visible on the side of the coffin.
Chen Fan's pupils contracted sharply after he saw it clearly.
That's not the "pilgrim on the pilgrimage".
It is the "first generation".
Before he could examine it closely, a sealing talisman exploded with a "snap".
Then, the second one, and the third one.
Bang bang bang.
The ash from the exploding talismans flew all over the hall.
As soon as the ashes landed, they turned into lines of broken words.
"Journey west..."
"Save..."
"Reboot..."
"replace……"
When some of the immortals saw this, their faces turned pale instantly.
"That's not a sealing talisman."
"That's a record!"
"Who used the records as a seal?!"
Chen Fan was startled.
Seal the records as evidence.
This is to ensure that it will never be able to speak again.
Mount Ling and the Heavenly Court—no one can escape their connection.
The Jade Emperor stepped down the imperial steps, his voice becoming completely somber.
"Chen Fan, hand over the true core."
"If you hand it over now, I can still control it."
The Buddhist decree from high above also echoed back.
"Submit the verification report."
"The sacred mountain will naturally be sealed off."
Both sides pressed forward simultaneously.
Chen Fan stood beside the black coffin and suddenly smiled.
"You're getting impatient."
"It seems the people inside are more valuable than the kernels."
The Jade Emperor said coldly, "If you delay any longer, it won't just be you who die."
Chen Fan raised his hand and touched the peeling charred shell on the corner of the coffin.
The tentacles were icy cold.
It felt like touching a piece of old iron that had been frozen for a long time.
The next moment, the coffin jolted back.
It wasn't an earthquake.
It felt like someone inside was gently tapping the spot next to him.
a bit.
Two times.
The entire hall fell silent instantly.
Even the Buddhist decree and chanting paused for a beat.
Chen Fan didn't retract his hand, and his eyes narrowed little by little.
"Can you hear anything from inside?"
No one answered him.
Only the knocking sound rang out once more.
Clearer.
The Jade Emperor's expression finally changed, and he shouted sternly, "Step back!"
Chen Fan didn't back down; instead, he moved even closer.
"Who are you?"
Silence followed at first in the black coffin.
Then, a hoarse voice squeezed out from the crack in the coffin.
It's like I haven't spoken in a long time; every word feels rough and unpleasant.
"you……"
Everyone in the hall was terrified.
Live.
It's really alive.
The sound paused, sounding like laughter, yet also like coughing.
Then, the second sentence slowly drifted out, clearly reaching everyone's ears.
"You've finally remembered me."
Chapter 224 The Man in the Coffin
"Thinking of you?"
Chen Fan stared at the crack in the coffin and smiled first.
"I've never even seen you before, so what makes you think of me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the seventh chain on the black coffin suddenly taut with a clanging sound, as if something inside had braced it.
Everyone in the entire Lingxiao Palace trembled.
Pigsy took a half step back, still stubbornly saying, "If this thing really jumps out, let me make it clear first, I, Old Pig, will only watch, not bump into it."
The Bull Demon King snorted, but his hand had already touched the iron cudgel.
Yang Jian didn't speak, his three-pointed double-edged sword held diagonally across his body, his gaze fixed on the coffin opening.
The Jade Emperor stood on the high steps, his face so dark it could drip water.
"Step back."
These two words are not meant for others to hear.
It was said to Chen Fan.
Chen Fan refused to back down and instead took another step forward.
"They've already spoken up, why are you still covering it up?"
"Jade Emperor, your confrontation is quite interesting; the witness himself is in his coffin."
With just one sentence, the expressions of many celestial officials in the hall changed.
They had just assumed it was a talisman, a seal, or an old object displayed to frighten people.
Who would have thought that there was actually a live person locked up inside?
And judging from his appearance, he's someone who knows important things.
Sun Wukong grinned and slammed his golden cudgel on the ground.
"Old Chen is right."
"Since it's already set up, let's open it."
"If you're too scared to drive, I'll drive it."
He was about to step forward when he said that.
The Jade Emperor's sleeves trembled, and a golden light pressed down directly.
Sun Wukong's foot sank, and two of the floor tiles cracked open with a snap.
The monkey's eyes blazed with anger.
"You're stopping me?"
"This coffin cannot be fully opened," the Jade Emperor said coldly. "If it is opened, chaos will not break out in the heavens, but in the Heavenly Court itself."
Chen Fan grasped the essence of that sentence.
It's not that it can't be opened.
They dare not go all the way.
This shows that the person inside really knows how to flip tables.
He immediately looked up and retorted directly.
"What are you afraid of?"
"Are you afraid he'll reveal who's fabricating the story, or afraid he'll reveal who started it all?"
The hall was deathly silent.
Even their breathing became softer.
The Jade Emperor stared at Chen Fan, his gaze pressing down like a knife.
Anyone else would have been utterly captivated at first glance.
Chen Fan held on.
He understands now.
The Jade Emperor did not intend to kill them.
I don't want to right now, at least not right now.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been summoned to the Lingxiao Palace, much less placed this black coffin in the very center.
This old man wants to use their mouths and their hands to pry out certain things.
I just don't want to take all the blame.
Chen Fan's lips twitched.
Playing this game?
Row.
Let's see who gives up first.
He raised his hand and pointed at the black coffin.
"The person inside, could you please explain yourself clearly?"
"Who are you?"
The coffin sank for two breaths.
Then, the coffin lid was slowly moved aside a crack.
It wasn't opened by someone else.
Like the people inside, they pushed it open themselves.
As soon as that sliver appeared, a strange aura wafted out.
It doesn't smell bad, nor does it smell fishy.
It smells like old, cracked paper mixed with incense ash; if you smell it for too long, your head will feel swollen.
Then, a hand reached out.
To be precise, only half remains.
The hand was severed from the wrist upwards, with no blood at the cut, as if someone had sliced it off along with its shadow with a knife.
The next instant, a face pressed against the edge of the coffin.
A collective gasp filled the hall.
That was a Taoist priest.
His hair was gray, his skin was so dry it clung to his bones, the left half of his face was still there, but the right half looked like it had been wiped away, and even his ear was only half there.
What's even more frightening is his body.
When the coffin lid was opened a little further, everyone could see it clearly.
He has no lower body.
It's not broken.
It disappeared neatly from the waist down, as if that part had never existed.
Pigsy's eyelids twitched.
"Damn it, this wasn't chopped off."
"This is... deleted?"
As soon as the last two words were uttered, many of the senior officials in the hall changed color.
Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest let out a laugh.
"There are still people... who remember this word."
His voice was harsh, like sand rolling in his throat.
"good."
"I was not beheaded, nor was I sealed up, nor was I subjected to torture."
"Half of my work was cut."
Sun Wukong's eyes narrowed.
He's extremely skilled at this technique.
He felt there was something wrong with the hundred-year gap at the foot of Wuzhi Mountain.
It's not that I can't remember.
It's as if something has been forcibly ripped out.
Chen Fan reacted instantly.
This is no ordinary witness.
This is what people who have done "engineering" are like.
He went straight to the toughest one.
"Who exactly are you?"
The Taoist raised his crippled hand, pointed at himself, and then at the pale sealing talismans around him.
"One of the former project supervisors."
"I was present during the first wave of global censorship."
One sentence was enough to set the hall in an uproar.
"Former project manager?"
"Does such a person really exist?"
"Wasn't the first batch of deletions just a rumor?"
"Shut up!" an old minister shouted on the spot, sweat beading on his forehead.
Drinking it won't help.
Everyone's eyes were red.
Because this statement is too grand.
It's big enough to overturn many old cases at once.
Chen Fan stared intently at the Taoist priest.
"What is 'old craftsmanship'?"
The Taoist priest glanced at him as if he were looking at someone who had suddenly bumped into the doorway.
"The old workers were the first group of people who built the scaffolding."
"Where do the rules of heaven come from? Where does Buddhism intervene? Which period of history should be preserved, and which should be erased? Who can sit on the throne, and who should suppress it?"
"They're all workers."
"You later called it order, orthodoxy, and the Great Way."
"Back in our day, we called it a 'work'."
Upon hearing these words, even Yang Jian tightened his grip on his sword.
They portrayed the Heavenly Court and Buddhist sects as mere craftsmen.
This isn't a slap in the face.
They've even overturned the memorial tablets.
The Jade Emperor finally spoke.
That's enough.
The Taoist priest turned his head and looked at the Jade Emperor on the high platform, his eyes even carrying a hint of mockery.
"You're still the same."
"If you don't want to talk, then tell me to shut up."
The Jade Emperor remained expressionless.
"I put you in a coffin not out of personal revenge."
"If you had spoken up back then, the Heavenly Court would have collapsed first."
"Back then, the Three Realms were not yet stable. If you said one thing, ten thousand people would die for you."
This can be considered an admission.
He really kept people locked up for many years.
And they knew what the person was holding in their hand.
When the celestial officials in the palace heard the Jade Emperor admit it himself, their faces turned pale.
Several senior officials, in particular, began to feel weak in the legs.
They could still deceive themselves, saying that Chen Fan was making trouble and that the black coffin was a trap.
Now, the Jade Emperor's words have essentially lifted half the lid.
Chen Fan felt more at ease.
Since the Jade Emperor is willing to admit it, it means that the situation is still within his calculations.
The best thing to do at this time is not to argue.
They're digging as deep as they can while it's still hot.
"Okay, then continue."
Chen Fan looked at the Taoist priest in the coffin.
"Who made the first batch of deletions and edits?"
The Taoist's Adam's apple bobbed, as if he hadn't spoken so much in a long time.
He first looked up and surveyed the surroundings.
His gaze swept over the memorial tablets, over the Jade Emperor, over the empty seat of Laozi, and finally settled on the throne in the west.
There's no one there today.
The Buddha did not come.
The Taoist priest smirked.
"I've done them all."
"Not just by one person, and not just once."
"In the first round of finalizing the framework, the Heavenly Court did the most work."
"The Buddhist community took over the second round of supplementing the scriptures."
"After that, the contemplators entered the hall and focused on patching up the flaws and smoothing out any unsightly corners."
"Nobody should pretend to be innocent."
"The Buddha did it. Lao Tzu did it. The Amitabha Buddha also did it."
"Even the mercy you speak of has taken up a knife."
After the last sentence was uttered, Lingxiao Palace fell completely silent.
Many people subconsciously looked towards the West.
It was as if they were afraid that a Buddha's palm would fall down from there at any moment.
Sun Wukong laughed first, his teeth showing in a wide grin.
"Good, very good."
"I told you long ago, none of those bald guys are white."
Pigsy felt a chill run down his spine and muttered under his breath.
"Even Laozi has gotten involved?"
"This pot is huge."
The Bull Demon King stared at the Taoist priest and asked in a deep voice, "Since you were involved, why was your information deleted?"
The Taoist priest remained silent for a moment.
This time, the smile on his face disappeared.
"Because I changed my mind."
"I saw a name during the final proofreading."
That name should have been erased.
"Someone forbids me from wiping it."
At this point, he suddenly looked up at Chen Fan.
That one glance, like a nail rusted for thousands of years, was instantly hammered into Chen Fan.
Chen Fan felt a sudden tightness in his back.
It wasn't murderous intent.
I recognized him.
The Taoist stared at his brow, then at his wrist, his voice trembling for the first time.
"This anchor mark on you..."
"Where are you from?"
Everyone in the hall was taken aback and turned to look at Chen Fan.
Chen Fan himself squinted.
Anchor mark.
This wasn't the first time he'd heard this word.
But the first time, someone recognized him immediately.
He suppressed the sudden pounding in his chest and asked the question directly.
"Do you know him?"
The Taoist priest nodded slowly, his mangled hand rubbing against the edge of the coffin as if to confirm that he hadn't misread it.
"know."
"This wasn't made later."
"These are the hidden nails left from the earliest batch."
"It can withstand deletion and modification, avoid rewriting, and pull a person out of the cracks of being erased."
"In the entire process, it was only buried once."
He stopped there.
Everyone in the entire Lingxiao Palace was about to go crazy from holding their breath.
Chen Fan strode to the coffin and asked directly:
Who buried it?
The Taoist looked at him and spoke slowly and deliberately.
"The first person to refuse to perform."
boom.
These four words are even harsher than the previous one about the former project manager.
Yang Jian's pupils contracted.
Sun Wukong's eyebrows furrowed.
At that moment, the Jade Emperor's expression finally turned truly ugly.
It wasn't an act.
It's the kind of ugly thing that's been hidden for a long time and then forcibly pried out and brought into view.
Chen Fan grabbed it immediately.
Who was the first person to refuse a role?
Where is he?
"Is he still alive?"
Three questions were thrown at him in quick succession, but the Taoist in the coffin remained silent.
He just looked at Chen Fan, a slow smile spreading across his face, as if he had finally waited for this moment.
"You want to know?"
"I'd like to say that too."
"But I can't say it all right now."
He looked down at his half-body body, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
"I've been suppressed for too long."
"Some of the openings were still blocked by coffin nails."
"If you continue, I'll leave first."
Chen Fan frowned.
The Jade Emperor coldly replied, "We cannot release them."
"Once he goes all out, the seal will break, and the entire old line will vibrate."
The Taoist priest laughed after hearing this.
"Look."
"He's still afraid."
"It's not that I'm afraid you'll run away, it's that you're afraid I'll call out the names of all those old acquaintances one by one."
Chen Fan ignored the Jade Emperor and focused only on the Taoist priest.
What do you want?
The Taoist priest answered quickly.
"exchange."
"I want to know who was the first person to refuse to act."
"Let me out completely first."
As soon as he said this, all nine chains vibrated simultaneously.
The seals on the black coffin bulged up one after another, as if there were fires on top of it from below.
The Jade Emperor stepped down the high steps, his imperial robes fluttering, and for the first time, his voice carried a stern tone.
"Anyone who dares to touch the lock, I will execute first."
Sun Wukong held his golden cudgel horizontally and thrust it directly at the top.
"Try cutting one yourself."
The Bull Demon King also took a step forward.
Zhu Ganglie looked left and right, gritted his teeth, and picked up his nine-toothed rake.
Yang Jian stood still.
But the tip of his knife was slightly off-center from the black coffin chains.
Chen Fan's eyelids twitched.
The situation suddenly became extremely tense.
Just then, the Taoist priest in the coffin suddenly raised his head, staring intently at the outside of the hall, his voice tense.
"It's too late."
"He's already here."
The next instant, a very soft wooden fish sound came from outside the Lingxiao Palace.