Chapter 871: The End of Earth Deity, the Beginning of Reincarnation

Chapter 871: The End of Earth Deity, the Beginning of Reincarnation

"Human worship and veneration are, in fact, a form of fear."

Hu Ma's face lit up with delight upon hearing Monkey Wine's words, and Monkey Wine himself felt a sense of joy as if he had glimpsed the truth.

Monkey Wine smiled and said to Hu Ma, "Just like the ancient ancestors who feared thunderbolts, worshiped them, and imagined that a deity controlled them, bringing punishment to the human realm, it's the same for you."

"However, you are too close to the Earth Deity, and through the accumulated knowledge of the Great Dharmic Religion over generations, you can indeed influence its power through certain rituals, which is equivalent to a part of the exploration."

"Of course, it's too crude, so crude that you know the phenomenon but not the reason behind it. Therefore, when your ancestor inadvertently disturbed the Earth Deity, which was already at war with our civilization, this terrifying consequence befell your world."

"To understand this phenomenon, we need to comprehend the principle behind human worship and veneration."

"Humans are born with a desire to explore the unknown, but they also have an innate fear of it. When afraid, they create deities in their minds, attempting to preserve themselves before this power through devotion and sacrifice."

"During exploration, they rise to understand, comprehend, and control it."

"..."

Hu Ma looked at Monkey Wine with admiration in his eyes, and said softly with a smile, "That's why every time we mention the Earth Deity, we feel a terror that is indescribable, beyond words."

"But in reality, nothing is truly indescribable!"

"..."

Monkey Wine nodded slightly, and a faint appreciation appeared on his face as he smiled and said, "This is the first time I've felt proud of our thoughts."

"When this entity appeared in our world, it was indeed indescribable and incomprehensible, so we initially felt fear, and within a short time, our civilization was destroyed by it."

"But we didn't give up the struggle because of this!"

His usually calm face now beamed with pride as he slowly spoke, "If something is indescribable, then there are countless such things in the universe."

"In ancient times, thunderbolts, floods, earthquakes, and wildfires were all indescribable to the ancestors."

"Throughout history and across different lives, it's the same. When we observe the Earth Deity, how is it different from when ancient humans observed those thunderbolts and earthquakes?"

"When facing something indescribable, the only correct path is to understand its true nature. At least, in our culture, in the eyes of those who are willing to sacrifice everything, even their bodies and souls, to become the Earth Deity's heart demon and wage war against it..."

"There is nothing indescribable, only things yet to be understood."

"..."

As he spoke, he looked at the massive Meat Mountain, so vast that its edges were invisible. His small figure seemed like an ant, but he spoke as if from a position of superiority:

"When thunderbolts streak across the night sky, when tsunamis surge towards the human realm, when the earth rumbles from deep within, when floods inundate farmlands, and when droughts scorch the land, drying up the crops..."

"It's understandable for you to kneel and worship, but it's futile. No matter how afraid you are, what's coming will come. Only when you gather the courage to explore their true nature will you gradually understand..."

"It turns out that everything has its reasons."

"..."

He took a deep breath and looked up at the Meat Mountain, so immense that it seemed to cover the entire universe. His voice was deep as he said, "The Earth Deity is not a malevolent deity."

"In my eyes, it's a phenomenon in the universe, a tide, the unconscious souls of countless civilizations that have perished, a negative spiritual energy field. That's why it's attracted to civilizations, aligning with the positive and negative poles of Yin and Yang."

"The Earth Deity is pure, but civilizations are impure. When the Earth Deity comes into contact with a civilization, countless bizarre and uncanny phenomena occur, surpassing human understanding. It gives rise to fear."

"Some worship it, some bargain with it, and they seem to find some use for it, so their fear, devotion, and reverence become part of its uncanny nature."

"Whether it's us or you, when facing the Earth Deity, are we truly fighting against it, or are we battling our civilization's impurities?"

"..."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but laugh, "Humans often scare themselves, and civilizations are no different."

"I believe countless races and civilizations have encountered the Earth Deity, and many have been devoured by it. They must have had numerous names and understandings of it, and they must have witnessed its various aspects."

"But did they lose to the Earth Deity, or did they lose to themselves?"

"That's an interesting question."

"In my theory, all civilizations face the Earth Deity on equal terms because, in essence, they have only one opponent, and that is themselves."

"Whether they choose to kneel and worship or stand up to face the Earth Deity is the greatest challenge every civilization must confront."

"..."

Hu Ma listened to Monkey Wine's insights gained over twenty years, feeling relieved in his heart, but as he thought about it, he couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding.

Whether it was Dui Yi herding the Earth Deity's people, the National Teacher building the White Jade Capital, or any other method, they all seemed reasonable when they were in the human realm. But now, they seem like walking on a cliff's edge.

Herding the Earth Deity's people is like throwing countless cattle and sheep into the sea during a tsunami, hoping to appease the Dragon King and stop the calamity. What's the difference between that and building the White Jade Capital, which is like constructing a fireproof stone house to accommodate a few people during a wildfire?

"I admire your courage to take this step."

Monkey Wine smiled at Hu Ma and said, "When you choose to move forward without hesitation, when you choose to face the Earth Deity directly, transcending the limitations of your civilization, then the Earth Deity is no longer a disaster for you, but rather a means for you to..."

"They call it 'Return to Origin,' which is a beautiful wish. But from a rational perspective, I prefer to think of it as a life's ascension."

"To glimpse the ultimate life, to control time and space, to understand the emergence and annihilation of things, this is life's aspiration."

"The Earth Deity itself is nothingness and purity. What frightens us are only the unknown and our own thoughts."

"Even when we were in the human realm, the concept of eternal punishment was just an imagination, a belief that we were fighting against a powerful deity, and so we feared being thrown into the oil pot. In reality, the only torment for those who transmigrate is death."

"When life overcomes illusions and defeats stray thoughts, and has the courage to explore the unknown, then it has the qualification to ascend."

"I believe that this is the greatest gift the universe bestows upon life."

"..."

After speaking these words in one breath, Monkey Wine finally paused, looking earnestly at Hu Ma and smiling, "As for how to accept this gift, I think..."

"Now, you have more say in this matter than I do."

"..."

"I do."

Hu Ma looked at Monkey Wine with a smile.

Before taking this step, he had at least one certainty—he had known from the very beginning that the Earth Deity had no consciousness.

Only when the Earth Deity entered the human world would it develop consciousness, and only when it combined with some existence in the human world would it develop desires or goals. Precisely because the Earth Deity was originally void, he had the courage to take this step.

This was his only reliance in this unprecedented gamble.

And now, after listening to Monkey Wine's words, he even felt a sense of relaxation and immense joy:

"Who would have thought that the true way to subdue thunderbolts is simply to stand up and try to understand them when everyone else is bowing down in worship?"

"Since you have it, then I'll entrust it to you."

Monkey Wine slowly extended his finger towards Hu Ma.

By his side, layers of purple aura gathered, rolling and surging towards Hu Ma. The purple aura could transform everything, and in this case, where both were spiritual bodies, it could also transform into cognition.

This was everything he had seen, understood, and comprehended in the past twenty years. However, he couldn't solve the problem, so he waited for Hu Ma. Now that Hu Ma had arrived, he would give him all the research results of these twenty years.

Hu Ma calmly accepted it, feeling the infinite cognition, data, and parameters appearing in his sea of consciousness, and perceiving the boundless and mysterious things before him, which began to deconstruct in his cognition.

After Monkey Wine had done what he wanted, his entire being started to merge completely with the Earth Deity.

His figure gradually dissipated, and just before he was about to disappear entirely, he spoke softly to Hu Ma, "When you see me again, remember to tell me what it feels like to ascend as a person!"

"In detail!"

"..."

"Okay!"

Hu Ma earnestly agreed with Monkey Wine, feeling not sadness or regret, but respect for this rational person.

He accepted all of Monkey Wine's knowledge and data, and then slowly sat cross-legged on the Earth Deity. All the cognition gathered in his mind, taking shape.

He slowly reached out and drew a circle, and from the eternally desolate Earth Deity, his voice sounded: "Rise, Altar!"

After accepting Monkey Wine's knowledge, perhaps he already had other ways to describe all things and their derivatives, such as the energy matrix or the life shadow...

But one must not forget one's roots. Familiar with the ritual, it's still the ritual!

The Ghost Altar has three zhang and three chi, nine zhang and nine chi, an altar of a city, an altar of the world, and naturally, there can also be an altar of the Earth Deity.

When the altar is raised in the human world, it can borrow the power of heaven and earth; the same is true when it is raised on the Earth Deity.

At the four cardinal points, the rolling purple aura surges, forming a raging storm, a raging tide, and an ocean around Hu Ma.

The Earth Deity is nothingness.

It is the purest substance after death, the end of life.

After a person from the human world dies, they shed their cause and effect, forget their past lives, and eventually become the purest form, almost identical to the Earth Deity.

The Earth Deity may be the last remaining thing after countless civilizations have faded away, the ultimate, most pure remnant after all life has shed its cause and effect. It is just a gust of wind blowing towards civilization.

Due to its nature, it can only extinguish the flames of civilization. Every time it approaches the human world, it becomes tainted with stray thoughts, and countless civilizations try to fathom it in their own ways.

But it has no will; it merely exists.

So, as a being with will, when I came to the Earth Deity, it was like a poor man coming upon a mountain of gold. I just need to accept it, and I will have the opportunity to ascend, which is the true meaning of 'returning home.'

Victory appears before the war; I had already won the moment I took that step.

The only thing I need to face is the Earth Deity's instinctive resistance and the stray thoughts gathered on its surface...

Isn't it simple?

"Simple? Not a chance!"

As the raging storm engulfed him, and strands of energy were drawn from the Meat Mountain, piercing his body, intending to devour him completely.

In that instant, Hu Ma felt his flesh being flayed a hundred million times, his skin peeling off inch by inch, thrown into a pot of oil and fried repeatedly, every nerve being pulled out, and his head chopped off again and again.

Of course, this was an illusion; his physical body was still in the human world, and here, there was only a spiritual body.

But the feeling was real, and the pain was genuine. Even the endless void before his eyes seemed to promise a million years of suffering, and only after preparing for it did he realize that each second would feel like more than ten thousand years.

"Monkey Wine, you've tricked me..."

At this moment, Hu Ma couldn't help but curse. This guy had used theory to tell him that eternal punishment didn't exist; he was just scaring himself.

But what is this now?

This guy had just lightly told him that he was only one step away from ascending, but he didn't mention that this last step would face such immense resistance...

As the altar rose, the power of the Earth Deity was borrowed, and the endless purple aura storm surged towards the altar, gradually engulfing Hu Ma. It looked like he was slowly sinking into the Earth Deity, getting closer to the origin."

This process never stopped, and every inch represented infinite pain and torment.

Hu Ma almost cursed every swear word he had learned in his previous life with the gift from Lao Jun Mei, but his hand, which held the Dharma Seal, never relaxed.

The transformation of life requires baptism through pain.

In a daze, he had already penetrated deep into the Meat Mountain, but there was no sense of suffocation. After entering the Meat Mountain, everything he saw was an endless expanse of chaos.

Hu Ma didn't raise his head to look, only able to see the boundless purple aura.

This bit of spirituality, amidst the indescribable baptism, had already undergone a fundamental change. In a moment of thought, the purple aura flowed, and as far as his eyes could see, he gazed upon countless civilizational projections, witnessing their interweaving, evolution, survival, and eventual demise.

Even within this hazy purple aura, he suddenly felt something peculiar. With a slight movement, he looked towards the other side of Tai Sui.

On the other side of Tai Sui was another form of the ultimate life shadow. He saw that within this boundless chaos, there was also a young man standing calmly in the same place.

Behind him, there was a projection of a massive red moon.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he walked slowly through the chaos, sensing Hu Ma's gaze. He turned his head to look over, and with a thought, he also arrived in front of Hu Ma, his friendly gaze resting on Hu Ma before he nodded lightly:

"Hello!"

It was just a regular greeting, and then he passed by Hu Ma, still with his hands behind his back, as if taking a leisurely stroll in the boundless chaos.

In an instant, he was already far away, and Tai Sui was so vast that he would never meet him again, even with this glimpse, it seemed like a coincidence in the vastness of the netherworld.

"I'm not the only one who has overcome this boundless fear and the unknown, and I won't be the last..."

At this moment, Hu Ma surprisingly didn't feel surprised, but instead found tranquility within his heart.

His only concern was whether that person had heard his cursing.

...

Amidst this tranquility, he calmly accepted the endless torment, and the determination in his heart also stirred, causing him to burst into laughter, saying, "It's not enough, why not add another hundred million years?"

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Endure endless torment, accept it calmly.

Finally, a glimmer of spiritual light emerged from the sea, and Hu Ma slowly stood up. Everything returned to tranquility, leaving only boundless joy.

Then, he slowly raised his hand, centered on the ritual altar, and began to construct the Yellow Springs Eight Sceneries.

This was the solution he had mentioned.

The current Hu Ma didn't bring everything from the human world, only the Yellow Springs Eight Sceneries that he had comprehended. These Eight Sceneries were precisely what could control the flow of all matter within the vast Tai Sui.

Through the Yellow Springs Eight Sceneries, he could draw upon the vast and boundless purple aura, allowing it to return to its origin.

Illusory shadows appeared through Hu Ma's hands, manifesting in the endless chaos, and then, through the boundless purple aura, they took on a real form. There was the Ghost Gate, the Cloak Removal Pavilion, the Homeward Gaze Platform, the Mengpo Shop, the Bloodstained Pool, the Broken Money Mountain...

These illusions became real, instantly expanding to an immense size.

Tai Sui, being the ultimate life, was like the deepest and most silent region of the netherworld in nature. Therefore, only the power of death could be controlled.

The Yellow Springs Eight Sceneries were precisely this power.

These eight sceneries were the creations of the people to understand the world after death, even if they were just fantasies, they represented the desire to control the world of death.

This control was much stronger than simply fantasizing about a god of death and worshipping him.

And this power, to some extent, became a reality after Tai Sui's contact with the human world, which was equivalent to having been tested.

Within the intangible transformation, the eight sceneries appeared, each larger than the Netherworld Palace and the netherworld he had visited in the human world, but compared to the vast and unmatched Tai Sui, they seemed extremely small, like a solitary boat on the vast ocean.

But it didn't matter, as this was a process of creation from nothing.

It represented a shift from mere worship and reverence for Tai Sui, from mere offerings, to a step towards utilizing and controlling Tai Sui.

As Hu Ma established the ritual altar and constructed the Yellow Springs Eight Sceneries, he also felt Tai Sui's surge and saw the vast purple aura beginning to slowly stir.

Something had moved Tai Sui.

He could even see that it was a tiny part of Tai Sui's tendrils, extending into the human world. But now, the human world had gathered its courage and was ready to sever those tendrils.

"The time has come,

Hu Ma burst into laughter, having reached his homeland, and it was time to start doing something useful.

He raised his finger, pointing at the Bridge of No Return he had constructed, along with the tendrils, towards the human world, which was originally extremely distant but now felt so close in his eyes.

With a thought, a projection entered the human world.

His voice echoed throughout the universe, shaking the human world: "The end of Tai Sui, the beginning of its return, gods, ghosts, and spirits, each to their own."

"I invite the gods of the world to enter Tai Sui!"

"I invite the souls of the underworld to enter Tai Sui!"

"I invite the demons of the world to enter Tai Sui!"

"I invite the capable people of the world to enter Tai Sui!"

"Between heaven and earth, all magic ceases to exist, all beings with spirit, nature, sentiment, and righteousness can be reincarnated as humans, living a meaningful life in this world."

"..."

In that human world, there would be a clean and pure world, where yin and yang would be distinct, and Tai Sui would depart, leaving behind no magic, no pond deities, shrine deities, demons, or wraiths. All would become rootless duckweeds.

From then on, the human world would have no dusk, no rules of yin and yang, no divine incense, and no strange arts. People could live peacefully under this vast sky.

However, since they had existed, when Tai Sui departed, it would also be the time for these living beings to disappear. Therefore, Hu Ma extended an invitation, asking them to come and help with the vast life shadow within Tai Sui.

This opportunity would also give all spiritual beings a chance to remain, and under the premise of ensuring the prosperity of the world, it would provide a path to the mysterious for those with favorable opportunities.

Like the Mountain Lord, the Seventh Madam, and Liu'er's Mother...

They might not be able to enter Tai Sui themselves, but they could achieve the interweaving of souls on the path of reincarnation they had opened, becoming true humans and enjoying the ordinary joys of this human world.

"What is that?"

When his voice echoed back to the human world, it was the Grand Ritual of the Lofty Heaven, and as Tai Sui surged, everyone looked up at the sky filled with blood clouds, witnessing the shadow that seemed to envelop the sky and sun, as if it would draw away the lives of all.

It was as if an ocean had appeared in the mortal realm, but the sea suddenly halted, not falling even the slightest bit. There was only a bridge between illusions, stretching from the heavens to the mortal realm.

Hu Ma's voice suddenly rang out from within the green tent, and he slowly lifted the tent flap and stepped out, his hand clasping the one reaching out to him, belonging to Little Red Tang. He smiled at the crowd of astonished onlookers.

"I have a big task to accomplish. Anyone interested in joining me?"

"You..."

The National Teacher was the first to react. He looked at Hu Ma in disbelief, his voice trembling, "You... succeeded?"

Hu Ma smiled at him, "It's not worth boasting about. It was quite simple."

The National Teacher was perplexed, "?"

"I'll go with you!"

The first to speak up was Er Guotou.

He looked up at the heavens and then at Hu Ma, feeling as if he was both in the sky and speaking to him at the same time. It seemed as if time had lost its meaning for him, and this piece of heaven and earth could only accommodate his projection.

So, he began to tremble. He didn't even doubt whether this was just his own vision. The Earth Deity's anger had thrown itself into his heart, and he loudly agreed.

There was no way he could miss this journey.

Not only him, but as Hu Ma extended the Bridge of No Return towards the mortal realm, there were sighs from shrine deities in various places. There was the Mountain Lord, and those related to him, who had stayed in the mortal realm and were destined to have their consciousness annihilated. For them, there was no reluctance.

But since consciousness existed, it was like a living person having some lingering attachments.

Doing something was better than direct annihilation.

So, the Mountain Lord and the accompanying divine apparitions all followed the bridge upwards. The incense offerings remained in the mortal realm, but their consciousness went to the Earth Deity to construct reincarnation.

Thus, demons from various places began to flock to the Earth Deity.

Even the souls of the dead who had not yet cleansed their cause and effect, still retaining memories of their past lives, followed along. They climbed onto the Bridge of No Return and drifted towards the Earth Deity.

Even Grandma emerged from the ancestral hall, standing on the bridge. She held Hu Ma's hand with one hand and Little Red Tang's with the other, not wanting to miss out on this important task involving her grandson.

"We're going too!"

There were even more unexpected people, led by Zhou Zhiming, the head of the Yang family. They couldn't contain their excitement as they witnessed everything, and they all made a decision.

They chose to escape death by becoming ghosts, using the last method of the heavens to follow the Earth Deity and participate in this otherworldly war.

Even Miss Zhou, who was pushed far behind by the crowd, wanted to follow her father. However, Mr. Zhou stopped her, "We, as people of the jianghu, cannot bear the loneliness after the disappearance of the world's techniques and abilities. So, we must go."

"Use this final opportunity to do something."

"But you, stay at home and wait for him to return. Live a good life."

"..."

Miss Zhou was reluctant, but Fairy Miaoshan patted her shoulder, comforting her, "Men who establish themselves before settling down are the best. Don't just focus on the here and now..."

Just then, she turned and realized her little Douguan was missing.

She heard a distant shout, "Auntie, the world has changed greatly. With this opportunity to ride the dragon, Douguan, I'm off to pursue my future..."

- As more and more beings, not of the mortal realm but affected by the Earth Deity, underwent changes and could no longer stay in this heaven and earth, they began to cross the bridge, heading towards the Earth Deity to build the Eight Sceneries and recreate reincarnation.

- In the mortal realm, the clouds in the sky became thinner, and the bright sunlight shone upon the people. It illuminated the Heaven-Bearing Hall, where the new Emperor Yang Gong held the precious seal.

- The people of the world were unaware of what was happening. They only saw the sudden difficulty in the mortal realm, with countless demons and ghosts blocking out the sun. But in an instant, they all vanished into nothingness.

- Knowing that a divine being had intervened to suppress the calamity, they all knelt down to thank the gods.

- In front of the Netherworld Palace, Emperor Yang Gong looked up at the heavens and smiled. Then, leading the civil and military officials, he waved his hands in salute before turning back into the palace, laughing, "The world is at peace. With someone managing heavenly affairs, let's focus on handling mortal matters!"

- At that moment of tranquility in the mortal realm, the old man guarding the ancestral hall smiled as he watched the Bridge of No Return leading away the otherworldly beings. He observed the heaven and earth, gradually free from the Earth Deity's shadow.

- He smiled with satisfaction, "Another civilization has overcome its shadows and escaped the sea of bitterness. This is good."

- As he smiled with satisfaction, his figure gradually faded and disappeared from the world, perhaps because his life was too insignificant, and no one remembered him or knew who he was.

...

...

In the realm of the Earth Deity, Hu Ma's projection descended into the mortal realm, issuing an invitation and bringing back his physical body. He felt the construction of the Yellow Springs Eight Sceneries taking shape within the Earth Deity.

Sensing the path of reincarnation within the Earth Deity, connecting countless civilizations, he realized that there were people in various places who could help him. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer and began his most important task.

The vast Earth Deity contained an abundance of purple aura, which only the returning Hu Ma could control.

So, when he gained a basic understanding of the Earth Deity, he summoned the rolling purple aura and directed it towards the desolate land that Monkey Wine had shown him.

The purple aura could transform all things and reshape civilizations.

Perhaps, at this moment, he had truly returned, completing the elevation of his life and about to experience a journey through past and future, observing the souls of various civilizations.

But none of that mattered.

He saw a civilization he had never visited but felt like he had lived in for many years, reviving on the desolate land. The recovered purple aura returned, and time rewound to before any of this had happened.

He saw familiar shadows reappearing in the once-brilliant civilization.

"It's time to keep my promise..."

He thought to himself.

Then, suppressing his excitement, he took a light step towards that civilization, a step he had long awaited.

The most wonderful thing is the reunion with old friends.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end