Chapter 618
Acting on Behalf of Heaven!
"And my tribulation is about to begin."
He looked up at the Chaos Pearl, where a golden system light screen quietly appeared.
[Host has begun cultivating the Great Dao of Cause and Effect. Hidden quest unlocked: Acting on Behalf of Heaven]
[Mission Objective: During the final three years of the Journey to the West world's existence, change the tragic fates of at least three main characters.]
[Punishment for Failure: Annihilation]
[Success Reward: Earth Coordinates + Method to Return Home]
Jiang Wang stared at the line of blood-red characters for "annihilation".
He suddenly smiled.
"Three years?"
He stood up, hands behind his back, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable resolve:
"Then... let's start by saving Tang Sanzang."
Deep within the palace of the Western Liang Women's Kingdom, incense smoke curled from golden censers, the fragrance of ambergris so strong it was almost melting.
The flickering candlelight cast a red glow, making the pearl necklace on the Queen's phoenix crown tremble as if it were both weeping and laughing.
She leaned against the soft couch, her clothes half-undone, revealing her fair skin, her eyes shimmering with tears, and her voice as soft as a feather brushing against the heart.
"Brother, why make things difficult for yourself?"
Her fingertips gently traced the hem of Tang Sanzang's monk's robe, carrying the warmth of the Western Regions incense, moving upwards inch by inch.
The touch was like a snake's tongue, cool and soft, yet with a scorching heat.
Tang Sanzang felt a long-lost heat surge up from his dantian and rush straight to the top of his head.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was hoarse, unlike his own: "Your Majesty...this humble monk...this humble monk is a monk..."
Before he could finish speaking, the Queen leaned in, her red lips almost touching his earlobe, her breath sweet as orchids: "So what if you're a monk? Even under the Buddha's seat, there are Buddhas of Bliss... Brother, touch here..."
She took Tang Sanzang's hand and pressed it against her heart.
Just as his fingertips were about to uncontrollably grip the Queen's waist, the world spun around, and a cold, fishy wind swept in!
"You audacious vixen! How dare you touch the man I've set my sights on!"
A shrill female voice ripped through the palace walls, sandstorms raged, and the candlelight was extinguished.
Tang Sanzang felt a numbness in his lower back, and his whole body was lifted up by a tremendous force. In the blink of an eye, he had left the palace, swept over thousands of palace walls, and soared into the night sky.
The wind was incredibly fast, cutting his face like a knife. He barely managed to open his eyes and saw that the person who had abducted him was a woman of stunning beauty, with eyebrows like distant mountains, eyes like cold stars, lips like painted vermilion, and a slightly pointed chin, giving her an inhumanly alluring charm.
She has wings on her back, and six thin, segmented blades beneath them gleam with a cold, eerie blue light in the moonlight. A barb is raised high behind her tail, dripping purplish-black venom from its tip, hissing and corroding the void.
Tang Sanzang's heart trembled: It was her! At the Vulture Peak Dharma Assembly, the Buddha smiled and held up a flower, and all the Bodhisattvas and the Eight Legions of Heavenly Dragons paid homage. Only this female demon transformed into human form and mingled among the Buddha. Taking advantage of the Buddha's unpreparedness, she used her tail hook to stab the Buddha's middle finger from behind. The Buddha picked up the blood and made it into a flower, smiled without saying a word, and only said, "You wicked creature, go away."
This demon disappeared without a trace, only to find him waiting on the road to the Western Paradise!
Poisonous Enemy Mountain, Pipa Cave.
The cave is deep and vast, with luminous pearls embedded in the ceiling, illuminating the cave walls like a crystal world.
In the center was a huge coral bed, covered with a snow-white fox fur coat, with golden hooks and tassels hanging from the four corners, jingling in the wind.
The scorpion demon gently placed Tang Sanzang on the bed, and with a flick of her tail, the cave entrance slammed shut.
She turned around, and with a flick of her wrists, the gossamer-thin gauze dress on her body transformed into butterfly wings, fluttering to the ground and revealing her enchanting, snow-white body.
"Holy monk, I have been waiting for you for so long."
Her voice was so soft it could melt water. She approached step by step, her tail hook leaving shallow marks on the ground, the venom sizzling.
He then realized with a start that the lust he had been aroused in the Queen's palace had long since vanished, leaving only a cold sweat and palpitations.
He forced himself to remain calm, clasped his hands together, but his voice trembled slightly as he lost his magical power: "Female Bodhisattva, this humble monk is but a mortal with limited vision. I was unaware of your divine presence and have failed to greet you properly. Please forgive me."
Upon hearing this, the scorpion demon's stinger trembled slightly, like a shy young girl.
She covered her mouth and smiled, her eyes sparkling with spring water: "Holy monk, you have such good eyesight, recognizing me as a Bodhisattva at a glance."
"If that's the case, do you know why I kidnapped you?"
Tang Sanzang lowered his eyes and said in a low and slow voice, "Presumably... the female bodhisattva, like the Queen of Xiliang, has developed worldly desires for this humble monk."
The scorpion demon giggled, her body trembling with laughter. With a flick of her tail, she wrapped it around his waist, lifting him half a foot off the bed. Their eyes met: "As expected of the man I've chosen, so intelligent and clever! Indeed, I am immortal and my beauty is undiminished, yet I have been lonely for a thousand years. Only today, after meeting the holy monk, do I know what it means to be moved."
Although you are carrying an illegitimate child, it doesn't matter. Once we become husband and wife, I will have a way to get rid of it for you.
Tonight is our wedding night.
With a tightening of her tail hook, Tang Sanzang felt a sharp pain in his waist. The venom seeped into his skin, bringing a tingling, itchy, and hot sensation that rushed straight to his lower abdomen.
He was horrified. His body, having lost its cultivation, couldn't even maintain the most basic golden light protection. Seeing that the tail hook was about to swim even more recklessly, his mind raced. He suddenly took a deep breath, and a sad smile appeared on his face.
"Female Bodhisattva..."
His voice suddenly softened unbelievably, and tears welled up in the corners of his eyes. "What virtue or ability do I possess to have earned the favor of this female bodhisattva? Just now in the Queen's palace, my defenses crumbled, and I almost lost my virginity, all because I was moved by worldly desires. It's just a pity... it's just a pity..."
Before he could finish speaking, he choked up and couldn't speak anymore. Tears rolled down his cheeks, landing on his fox fur coat and leaving dark stains.
The scorpion demon was taken aback, and its tail hook loosened slightly: "What are you regretting?"
Tang Sanzang raised his hand, trembling as he touched his swollen belly, his voice so low it was almost inaudible: "Unfortunately... this humble monk's body is no longer pure."
Just now, you lost your composure in front of the Queen, arousing my lust, but at the most crucial moment, it backfired, causing me unbearable pain..."
At this point, he suddenly uttered a sob.
He burst into tears, his shoulders shaking as tears streamed down his face: "How could this humble monk not know of the Bodhisattva's deep affection? But how can this crippled body of mine unite with the Bodhisattva's spirit and flesh? How can I let the Bodhisattva suffer as well? This humble monk... this humble monk would rather die than dishonor the Bodhisattva!" The scorpion demon's tail hook trembled, and she actually released him completely, placing him back on the bed.
She bent down and caught a tear in his eye with her fingertips, then gently licked it, a look of deep emotion welling up in her eyes: "Holy Monk...you actually did this for me..."
Tang Sanzang cried even harder, covering his face with his hands, his voice broken: "But now... now I can only watch helplessly as the female Bodhisattva is left alone in her empty chamber... This humble monk's heart is breaking... If the female Bodhisattva despises me, then kill this humble monk! Kill me, so that I may be reborn as a clean man in my next life, and become husband and wife with the female Bodhisattva, never to be separated for eternity!"
These words were spoken with such sincerity and heartfelt emotion that even he himself almost believed them.
The scorpion demon was stunned. Its stinger moved unconsciously across the ground, dripping venom, but it did not move forward again.
She suddenly straightened up, a strange light igniting in her eyes: "Holy Monk, rest assured! I have lived for a thousand years, what strange poisons and diseases haven't I seen? Once you have regained your purity, I will marry you and teach you what true bliss is!"
Tang Sanzang looked up through teary eyes, his voice weak but filled with hope: "Female Bodhisattva... is this true?"
The scorpion demon puffed out its chest, its tail hook raised high: "I, the scorpion demon, never go back on my word! Only in the far west is there a 'ten-thousand-year musk,' which requires the heart blood of a male musk deer as a catalyst, combined with forty-nine kinds of poisonous herbs, to be refined into 'Lifeless Powder.'"
I'll go and find it right away, and I'll make sure you're clean within three days!
She turned to leave, then turned back, her eyes filled with tenderness: "Holy Monk, please don't cry and ruin your health."
I'll be right back.
Having said that, she flung open the cave entrance with her tail hook, a gust of cold wind rose up, and she transformed into a streak of dark blue light, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
The cave entrance closed again. Under the light of the luminous pearl, Tang Sanzang slowly wiped away his tears, wiped the water from his face, and let out a long breath.
That crying scene just now almost drained him of all his energy.
He gently stroked her with his hand, his voice so low that only he could hear it: "Be good, just bear with it for a few more days..."
Silence returned to the cave, except for his low sighs, which echoed back and forth between the glass walls like a wisp of silk, lingering and persistent.
Jiang Wang sat cross-legged on the cloud bed, his fingertips lightly tapping the void. The dark blue system screen quietly appeared, and three blood-red options snaked and floated like three venomous snakes.
Option 1: Have Tang Sanzang mistakenly enter the Joyful Zen Temple during his journey to the West, have intercourse with a demoness for more than three months, conceive a child, and extend his journey to the West by twenty years.
Reward upon completion: Ancient Mysterious Stone Tablet (Fragment).
】
Option 2: Have Tang Sanzang and Zhu Bajie exchange bodies for seven days and seven nights. Zhu Bajie, in the body of the holy monk, has an affair with a village girl and an old man, giving birth to a demon child, thus prolonging the journey to the West forty years.
Reward upon completion: Innate Treasure - Dragon Scale Armor.
】
Option 3: Add "Pregnancy-Protecting and Childbirth-Delaying Powder" to the Abortion Spring in the Zimu River of Jieyang Mountain.
(Top-grade) This water will ensure the fetus remains strong for the drinker, extending the pregnancy by thirty years, during which time any abortion will be ineffective.
Reward upon completion: Primordial Spirit Crystal (can directly upgrade weapon crafting skill to the peak of Nascent Soul stage).
】
Jiang Wang lowered his eyes, his fingertips slowly caressing the third option.
The Primordial Spirit Crystal was too tempting for him. He had been stuck at the mid-stage of the Nascent Soul realm for over two hundred years, and the difference of just one step was like an insurmountable chasm.
If one obtains this crystal, one can refine one's own natal spiritual treasure in one fell swoop, and may even be able to forge a Dao artifact before the Tribulation stage.
As for "disgusting"
Degree... Ah, the first two options are more direct, but also more vulgar.
"That's it."
He raised his hand, and the system light screen transformed into a stream of light that entered his brow.
A palm-sized jade bottle appeared out of thin air. The bottle was warm and smooth, but inside it was half-filled with a dark purple liquid. Fine golden patterns floated on the surface of the liquid, emitting a heart-stirring vitality. It was the Pregnancy-Protecting and Childbirth-Delaying Powder.
A single drop of this medicine, when added to water, can transform a thousand miles of river into a sacred spring for preventing miscarriage. The fetus will not be aborted but will instead become more stable, with absolutely no possibility of miscarriage within thirty years.
Jiang Wang made a hand seal to conceal his form, transforming into a wisp of breeze, and silently swept towards Jieyang Mountain, a thousand miles to the southeast.
It was late at night at Juxian Temple.
The old nun had already gone to sleep. Eight hundred miles outside the nunnery, the Zimu River shimmered. The Abortion Spring was located on a small island in the middle of the river. Inside the stone pavilion on the island, a three-foot-deep ancient well gurgled out cold air.
The wellhead was protected by a restriction set up by the True Immortal Ruyi, but it only protected mortals and was useless to Jiang Wang.
He landed on the edge of the well, uncorked the clean bottle, tilted the bottle slightly, and the half-bottle of dark purple liquid burrowed into the well as if it were alive, instantly merging with the spring water without leaving a trace of color.
The well water remained clear, and the chill was still biting, as if nothing had happened.
Jiang Wang leaned down, his fingertips lightly touching the water's surface, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Holy monk, just bear with it."
After saying that, he vanished into the depths of the night in a flash.
Meanwhile, on the desolate edge of Xiniuhezhou, there was an unnamed village.
Tang Sanzang sat on a small stool to the side, his face deathly pale, his forehead covered in cold sweat, but he gritted his teeth and didn't utter a sound.
Pigsy was in so much pain he couldn't bear it any longer. He got up and was about to punch himself in the stomach: He raised his hand and slapped his belly hard, "Smack!"
With a muffled thud, he howled in pain, only to see that his belly, instead of deflated, swelled up again at a visible speed.
Sun Wukong reacted swiftly, grabbing him by the back of the collar: "You pig-brain!"
Tang Sanzang suddenly spoke, his voice so low and hoarse it was almost unrecognizable: "Wukong... let him take the picture." (End of Chapter)