Chapter 503: Two Minutes
"Shameless!"
Although Selene had often joined Skye and Gu Zi Yun for group activities, sleeping in the same large bed was a common occurrence, this didn't stop her from mocking Artemis. Perhaps this was a woman's possessiveness!
Beside them, Catwoman and Poison Ivy watched Selene, who looked like the main wife scolding the mistresses, and suddenly felt that the steak in their mouths wasn't as appealing. They pricked up their ears, ready to enjoy the gossip! Selene's scolding wasn't particularly loud, but Artemis wasn't a mortal. As the Olympian Goddess of the Hunt, she could still hear Selene's insults clearly from several kilometers away. Her fingers, gripping her golden bow, turned white from the force.
If she had a choice, how could she, a dignified Olympian Main God, stoop so low as to serve the same man as Hera and the others? She wasn't Aphrodite! But when others are the knife and I am the fish meat, Hera wanted to become the Master of the Pantheon, and to gain the support of that person named Tang, she willingly debased herself and offered herself! To achieve her goal, Hera even threatened her with Zeus's Soul! Although Zeus's reputation among the Olympian Gods was hard to describe, to Artemis, this Father had given her ample fatherly love.
As a Father, Zeus had never refused any request she made. He agreed to all her requests for Deity Titles and for remaining a virgin.
He even agreed when she demanded to have as many alternate names as her Brother Apollo, so that Apollo could not compare to her.
Among the Olympian Gods, her Deity Title was second only to Queen Hera. It could be said that she was undoubtedly Zeus's most favored daughter.
Artemis couldn't bear to watch Zeus's Soul be refined into that malicious Weapon, suffering for all eternity, even if it cost her life.
Although she was mentally prepared, when Artemis faced Selene's contemptuous gaze, which looked like she was looking at a mistress, the frustration in her heart was still unbearable! It felt like being pricked by needles! Tang Song, the instigator of the conflict between Artemis and Selene, was unaware of it, or rather, even if he knew, he wouldn't take it to heart!
This matter itself was just a deal between him and Hera! Did they expect him to develop feelings! At his Cultivation Base, the pleasure brought by simple physical desire was limited. Those Goddesses of Olympus and the Pantheon were, to put it bluntly, just some diversions in his life. What stimulated him about those Goddesses wasn't their beauty, but their identity.
To see Goddesses, whom he had only seen in mythology, prostrate themselves... it's likely that few men could resist this temptation!
It was like wealthy persons spending a fortune on female celebrities. Many female celebrities' true appearances were actually not as good as some ordinary persons, but the bonus from their identity was what made those tycoons' hearts flutter.
Once the novelty passed, it wasn't a big deal. Of course, Tang Song wasn't the kind of person who would pull up his pants and deny everything. Giving the Pantheon to Hera to manage was no big deal.
Of course, as a restraint, the Gods of the Pantheon all needed to leave their Soul Imprints on the Circulatory Heaven Immortal Registry. This was the rule.
In the Night Sky, a Three-headed Golden Dragon pulled a luxurious Canopy Cloud Fragrance Chariot, traveling through the Cloud Top. Green Lotuses grew beneath the wheels, steadily supporting the carriage. On the carriage, eight Golden Lamps emitted soft Golden Light, illuminating the Night Sky clearly! At the four corners of the carriage, four Beast-headed Incense Burners were lit, emitting a fragrant, ethereal scent, accompanied by faint immortal music.
Wang Xiaoya and Zhao Li stood cautiously on the footrests on either side of the curtains below the carriage, their heads drooping, looking like defeated roosters!
Behind the Bead Curtain and Colorful Gauze Curtains, two shadows were indistinct. Zhao Li dared to steal a glance, but in the hazy view, even though they were close, he couldn't see clearly.
However, the conversation between the two inside the curtains clearly reached their ears. After hearing their conversation, Zhao Li and Wang Xiaoya both shrank their heads down further, fearing they would be noticed!
"Fellow Daoist, there's no need to worry. I came to this world only because I lost a Damaged Magic Treasure. Once I find it, I will naturally leave! You don't need to treat me as an unwelcome guest!" A gentle man's voice came from inside the curtains, his cheerful tone sounding refined and elegant!
"It was I who was abrupt, Fellow Daoist, please don't take offense. It's just that Chi You's Soul is related to a past incident, which is why my Heavenly Maiden is so nervous!" A woman's voice, full of mature charm, reached outside the curtains.
Hearing Queen Mother of the West's words, Wang Xiaoya's face immediately fell. She hadn't expected that using the Kunlun Secret Technique to contact an Ancient God would bring such great trouble to the Ancient God.
Hearing the Ancient God's tone, she was actually very fearful of that unknown man, which made Wang Xiaoya speculate about his identity.
"I wonder what Damaged Magic Treasure Fellow Daoist lost. Although K'un-Lun is not large, it does have some manpower. If Fellow Daoist needs anything, please feel free to ask!"
On the large bed made of Jasper, Tang Song and Queen Mother of the West sat across a tea table, chatting while sipping tea. Queen Mother of the West said.
Tang Song smiled and said, "It seems Fellow Daoist is eager for me to leave early! Haha, the thing is nothing much. It's a Damaged Magic Treasure I lost, not very valuable, and I already have its whereabouts, so I won't trouble Fellow Daoist!"
"That's good!" Queen Mother of the West breathed a sigh of relief. No one wanted another Great Expert looming over them. She only hoped that this Daoist in front of her would keep his promise and leave quickly after finding his thing.
If he didn't want to leave, then she... well, if this guy really shamelessly refused to leave, she really had no good method! She couldn't defeat him!
Queen Mother of the West sighed inwardly, watching the Daoist in front of her shaking his head while holding the Cloud Mist Tea she had saved up. Her heart ached, and she secretly gritted her silver teeth, but she had to maintain a smile on her face.
She suddenly seemed to remember something, put down her tea cup, and said to Tang Song, "Not long ago, an incident occurred in the Underworld. Does Fellow Daoist know?"
Hearing Queen Mother of the West's words, which concerned the Underworld, Zhao Li's ears immediately perked up outside the carriage.
Tang Song, hearing Queen Mother of the West's words, picked up the tea cup in his hand, looked at the tea infusion with swirling mist inside, and smiled, "Naturally I know! That Damaged Magic Treasure I lost has great viciousness. To prevent it from accidentally harming living beings, I could only use Sky Sealing and Earth Locking to isolate the Underworld and K'un-Lun. This is also for your sake! To avoid damaging everyone's harmony!"
"But I didn't expect that a few days ago, someone took advantage of me Discussing the Dao with that Old Monk in K'un-Lun and broke out of the Underworld. To be able to withstand one Palm strike from me and not die, they certainly have some abilities. Does Fellow Daoist know that person!"
Tang Song's gaze fell on Queen Mother of the West, his expression playful, "That Old Monk wasn't someone Fellow Daoist specifically found to distract me, was he? If that's the case, I might get angry!"
Queen Mother of the West heard Tang Song's blatant threatening words, gritted her silver teeth, itching with hatred, but looked up at Tang Song's half-smiling expression.
"I don't know why the Underworld King suddenly broke out of the Underworld!" She shook her head, "Perhaps it's related to Chi You's Soul! In ancient times, this Underworld King was the younger sister of that Primal Human Leader, Chi You. For all these years, she has been trying to resurrect Chi You!"
"Da da da—"
Zhao Li listened to their conversation outside, feeling his legs tremble uncontrollably. Others might not know, but he understood what was going on!
Calculating the time, the Underworld King left the Underworld shortly after he called her for help. So, it was precisely because of his phone number that the Underworld King was severely injured.
If Acha found out, wouldn't that black-hearted guy eat him alive! "What's wrong with you?" Wang Xiaoya nudged Zhao Li with her elbow, silently asking with her mouth.
Zhao Li looked back at her, his face so bitter it was almost twisted. Facing Wang Xiaoya's doubtful expression, Zhao Li was also helpless. How could he explain? Should he tell her directly that it seems the mastermind chasing them has been found, and is right here in this vehicle?
Forget it. The Underworld King managed to withstand one Palm strike from this person and was praised for having some abilities. Even Ancient Gods are humbling themselves before him. If this person was really chasing them, there was no hope, just wait for death!
Seeing Zhao Li's dejected look, Wang Xiaoya nudged him again with her elbow! Zhao Li simply leaned against the bowl-thick pillar beside him, giving up.
The small actions of the two outside naturally didn't escape the notice of the two inside the vehicle, but neither Tang Song nor Queen Mother of the West paid any attention! "Fellow Daoist! You severely injured the Underworld King, you have offended a Great God behind her!" When Queen Mother of the West said this, Tang Song even heard a hint of schadenfreude in her voice.
Tang Song was startled, "Oh? Could it be that the Underworld King's Authority doesn't come from Fellow Daoist!"
Queen Mother of the West smiled bitterly, "Naturally not. Chi You attempted to overthrow K'un-Lun, and the Underworld King is his younger sister, so I naturally couldn't let her become the Master of the Underworld. Someone else is supporting her. Has Fellow Daoist heard of Taishan Fujun!"
"Taishan Fujun? Could it be the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak, Huang Feihu!" Tang Song searched through his memory for this name, and quickly found bits and pieces about this figure in his distant memory!
This mysterious Taishan Fujun only appeared once in the entire Soul Ferryman story arc. That time, he didn't even show his face! Very mysterious!
"Huang Feihu? That's just fiction by mortal novelists! The true Taishan Fujun is an older Deity than me. After death, the Soul returns to the Six Paths of Reincarnation, but after a God dies, their Soul returns to the ancient God Prison under Mount Tai. The Master there is Taishan Fujun!
This Taishan Fujun is the true Master of the Land of the Departed, the Great Emperor of the Underworld! The Underworld King was merely pushed forward by Taishan Fujun to manage the Underworld for him. If Fellow Daoist has a conflict with the Underworld King, then you must be prepared to face Taishan Fujun directly!"
As Queen Mother of the West spoke, she observed Tang Song's expression change, trying to discern something from his face.
"I didn't expect there to be Experts in this world. If there's an opportunity, I should definitely Discuss the Dao properly!" To Queen Mother of the West's surprise, she didn't see the slightest panic on Tang Song's face. Instead, a hint of excitement, like a hunter spotting prey, appeared on his face.
The joy on Tang Song's face wasn't faked. Although he possessed the Jambudvīpa World Source Imprint, his Cultivation over the years had been like building a car behind closed doors.
It was like doing academic research alone behind closed doors. As for Confidants like Kane and Lane, the knowledge they possessed was only at the level of elementary and middle school.
This made it impossible for Tang Song to find someone to Discuss the Dao with. The Way of Heaven dictates that there is gain and loss. In Cultivating, four things are indispensable: Method, Companion, Resources, Location! Method goes without saying; Tang Song holds the Jambudvīpa World Source Imprint, which means he almost has the Cultivation Foundation of a top-tier Great World added to his body.
Resources: Boss Tang's influence is expanding rapidly like a snowball, and the existence of Main God Components means he doesn't have to worry about Cultivation Resources at all.
Location: The construction of the Heavenly Court and Heavenly Palace is almost like artificially creating a huge Cave Heaven and Blessed Land. The scale and luxury of this undertaking are something only a few top-tier powers in the Jambudvīpa World could achieve.
Method, Companion, Resources, Location. What Tang Song lacked was a Dao Companion to verify his Path of Cultivation. This Dao Companion isn't a traditional bed partner. In academic terms, it's someone who can verify your theories, debate with you, point out your errors, see your strengths, urge you forward, and support each other on the Path of Cultivation.
Tang Song didn't have such a person by his side, and given his personality, he wouldn't reveal everything to just anyone.
However, this time, Discussing the Dao with that Old Monk allowed Tang Song to understand his Dao, Inferring Other Cases from One Instance, and he gained quite a bit. Since he didn't have a Dao Companion to support him, he would let his enemies verify his Dao.
Well, based on the top-tier figures he had encountered in this world so far, this Ancient God, Queen Mother of the West, was undoubtedly the strongest. However, limited by the size of the world, she was only at the Cultivation Base of a Half-step Golden Immortal.
Discussing the Dao with her felt like an adult bullying a kindergarten child, he really couldn't bring himself to do it!
The real reason was his fear of that Golden Mother, who was in some unknown Great World. Even if she wasn't a Hunyuan, she wasn't far off!
Who knew what Great Divine Abilities such Existences possessed? What if, across the Chaos Sea and countless worlds... what if the matter of him bullying the Queen Mother of the West in this world was leaked one day... Hmm, hmm, hmm—
He hadn't expected to hear from her mouth that there was an existence like Taishan Fujun in this world. He definitely needed to see him.
Tang Song evaluated his trump cards: the Twelve Capital Heaven Underworld King Banner, the True Form Taiji Diagram, and the Eastern Emperor Bell (replica). Even if he encountered ancient Golden Immortals from the Jambudvīpa World who had Cultivated for hundreds of millions of years, below the Great Principle stage, he wasn't without the Strength to fight.
Of course, if those Golden Immortals held Innate Spiritual Treasures, which are Rule Creations, that would be another matter. After all, the Rules of some Innate Magic Treasures are truly bugged!
In the Jambudvīpa World, there were quite a few precedents of Golden Immortal Great Experts being chased and beaten by their rebellious disciples holding Innate Spiritual Treasures. For example, among the Disciple of Jade Void, there was a Great Sage named Chi Jingzi. In his hand, he held a Yin-Yang Mirror.
This mirror was precisely a Spiritual Treasure formed from the Rules of Life and Death. The mirror had two sides, Yin and Yang, one black and one white. Shining the white side on a person could bring them back to life, while shining the black side on a person would instantly take even a Golden Immortal's life.
When this Great Sage Chi Jingzi was still a Golden Immortal, he once bestowed this Innate Spiritual Treasure upon his beloved disciple. Unexpectedly, the master and disciple turned against each other, and the disciple, whose Cultivation Base was only at the True Immortal stage, held that Yin-Yang Mirror and actually chased this ancient Golden Immortal for hundreds of millions of miles. In the end, he had to borrow the Taiji Diagram, an Innate Supreme Treasure, from Heavenly Venerate of Virtue to capture that disciple and turn him into ash!
Queen Mother of the West's face was a little strange. She could see that the joyful expression on Tang Song's face was truly from the heart, which made her even more puzzled. However, she couldn't pry into the root of the matter. At the same time, deep down, she couldn't help but hope that Taishan Fujun would teach this guy in front of her a good lesson.
Tang Song and Queen Mother of the West, each with their own thoughts, chatted while sipping tea. King Ghidorah, the Three-headed Dragon, slowly pulled the carriage towards the Villa Area in the distance, where Explosion Sounds occasionally echoed.
Suddenly, a gale carrying water vapor blew past. "Hmm! A little bug!"
Tang Song flicked his finger, and a peal of thunder descended from the sky. A thick, mountain-like, scorching White Thunder boomed, striking directly into that water mist. Amidst a tragic wailing, the Taotie, which had turned into water mist, was electrocuted until its white bone form appeared, just like in a cartoon.
At this time, dozens of High-level Vampires who were tracking the Taotie stopped in their tracks when they saw the carriage pulled by King Ghidorah from afar. They bowed towards the carriage and quietly retreated.
"Fellow Daoist! The Taotie is the Dragon King's fifth son. As a God who rules the Four Seas, even I have to give him some face!"
Queen Mother of the West personally watched as Tang Song first looked at the Taotie's appearance with interest, seemingly very curious about this Dragon-species Strange Beast.
Then, he directly used Extract Soul and Seize Spirit on the Taotie, which was the size of a soybean in his palm. The constantly twisting Black Mist changed unpredictably in his palm, sometimes transforming into the appearance of a tiger's head and a sheep's body, and sometimes into a shadow of a person with buck teeth and bulging eyes. That Black Mist was none other than the Taotie's Soul.
"How many sons does the Dragon King have?" Tang Song looked at the changing Black Mist in his palm with interest for a while, then looked up at Queen Mother of the West.
He had lived three lives, but he had never seen a living Exotic Beast like the Taotie. It was quite rare.
Queen Mother of the West frowned, "How would I know that? Dragons are inherently lustful. Even he himself probably doesn't know how many sons the Dragon King has!"
"Since that's the case, why keep this thing? Does it eat people? Well, since he has countless sons, I suppose the Dragon King won't feel heartbroken if he loses one!" Tang Song smiled, flipped his palm, and put away the Taotie's physical body. He picked up the Three-legged Bronze Furnace used for brewing tea nearby, lifted the Furnace Lid, and casually threw the Taotie's Soul inside.
At this point, Queen Mother of the West noticed the inconspicuous bronze three-legged furnace cauldron in front of her. Her gaze focused on the furnace. At the Furnace Bottom, a Yin-Yang Great Mill rotated faintly. Sarira emitting Golden Light were ground into powder by the Great Mill, transforming into pure Yin Yang Qi.
The Taotie's Soul fell into it. Before it even reached the Furnace Bottom, it was wrapped by the two black and white Yin-Yang Fish that rose up, ground into nothingness, and transformed into the Essence of Charcoal Fire in the furnace.
Crackling sounds echoed within the Pill Furnace. The inside of the furnace was a scene of Chaos. Queen Mother of the West faintly saw three hundred and sixty-five Starlight Banners floating in the furnace fire. These banners, in the Chaos, released rays of Starlight, resembling a convergence of the Sun, Moon, and Stars.
Queen Mother of the West was about to Concentrate Spirit to look more closely, but her vision suddenly went dark. When she looked again, Tang Song had already covered the Furnace Lid.
Queen Mother of the West looked at Tang Song. Tang Song just smiled at her, "We've arrived!"
Queen Mother of the West looked out through the Bead Curtain and Colorful Gauze Curtains. Below them was the Villa Area that had turned into a Ghost Realm.
The majestic golden Three-headed Dragon pulling the carriage, and the Canopy Cloud Fragrance Chariot emitting Golden Light all over, appearing in mid-air, naturally attracted everyone's attention instantly.
Selene looked through the RV's glass at the carriage in mid-air. The two shadows beneath the curtains made her grit her silver teeth, thinking that Boss Tang had brought one of those Olympian Goddesses.
She got up, wanting to pull open the RV Door and go to that Canopy Cloud Fragrance Chariot to see which bitch it was!
She couldn't do anything about these people, but she could tell Hela about this and let the Goddess of Death teach these shameless bitches a lesson! As long as it wasn't too excessive, the person named Tang generally wouldn't interfere in their petty jealousies.
However, after glancing at the Villa Area that they had been unable to conquer for a long time, she stopped in her tracks. She had to complete the current matters perfectly before going to see Boss Tang.
"Increase Firepower! Take down this Demonic Realm within two minutes!"
Selene's cold voice instantly echoed in the ears of the Dark Council members.
Hearing the Speaker (Dark Council)'s command, the Beastmen grinned, as if they had been injected with adrenaline, constantly pulling the triggers of their various firearms.
Rockets, dense Machine Gun Bullets, poured down frantically onto that Ghost Realm!
Some Beastman Warriors got excited during the Combat and even directly carried Artillery, indiscriminately Bombing and Spraying Fire at that Villa Area.
Yin and Yang Separation existed. It seemed that the Beastman Warriors were attacking the Villa Area, but they were actually attacking a Ghost Realm attached to the Villa Area. That was a Dimensional Realm different from the Current World, belonging only to Souls.
Normally, ordinary firearms would find it difficult to Damage Existences like Vicious Ghosts and Fierce Souls. Even ordinary bullets shot through the Ghost Realm would pass directly through, like falling into mist.
But the firearms used by the Dark Council members were not ordinary. Either the Bullets were Enchanted, or Magic Tool Talismans were carved inside the Rifling.
Under super speed firing, 'Gaga gaga' sounds of empty firing pins constantly came from many Autocannons and Machine Guns. Such a fast Rate of Fire and continuous Spray Fire had exhausted the Ammunition of many Beastman Warriors in just a few dozen seconds.
However, they had no intention of reloading Ammunition. They threw the Weapons in their hands onto the ground, picked up a new one from the Weapon Box, and continued shooting.
However, even though the Dark Council's Attack frequency was fierce and that Ghost Realm seemed on the verge of collapse, taking down this Ghost Realm within two minutes was not an easy matter.
The Vice-Speaker of the Dark Council, an Old Necromancer holding a White Bone Staff, glanced at the RV where Selene was, then looked at the luxurious carriage in the sky. He raised his hand and called over a High-level Beastman, shouting loudly amidst the Artillery Fire:
"I remember Vice-Speaker Lucien brought some Miniature Nuclear Warheads from the Military Factory. Throw them over there! The Big Boss is watching, finish the Combat within one minute!"
"Yes!" The Beastman Warrior's face showed a warlike, excited smile when he heard the Vice-Speaker's words. He pushed away a Bear-Person Warrior who was blocking his way, and amidst the other's curses, he came to a Munitions Box guarded by several Decepticons. He opened a Sealed Weapons Box and took out a Artillery Shell that was not much longer than his forearm.
(end of chapter)