Cataclysm Chapter 119: The Roofless Crypt 11

Chapter 119: The Roofless Crypt 11

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

Everyone glanced at each other and lowered their heads. Kou Xuanling said seriously, “I couldn’t stand even looking at him, how could I possibly do the Soul releasing ceremony?”

Chen Yang rubbed his arms, goosebumps all over his skin after seeing the source of the resentment earlier. He said, “I’ve been thinking about that too. For the Soul releasing ceremony, we shouldn’t need to look at him, right?”

The source of the resentment in front of them was a literal mountain of human heads, bizarre, terrifying, and nauseating. The heads on the meat pile made unpleasant, mocking sounds, and Chen Yang and the others heard the voice of a mirage ghost say, “I didn’t expect it to be so soon, I wasn’t prepared for the game. How about you start the Soul releasing ceremony now and see if you can be the ones to release me first, or if I’ll leave you here forever as my nourishment.” After saying this, it let out a wild laugh, and the other heads followed suit, emitting ear-piercing laughter.

Chen Yang and the others, whose ears were already injured from the earlier howls, couldn’t bear the shrill, cacophonous sounds, which disturbed their peace of mind. Chen Yang immediately recited a calming chant, and his ears felt much better. He said, “Reciting the calming chant or the heart-clearing mantra will help. Those sounds are mixed with resentment, and listening to them for too long will drive us to lose our sanity.”

The others also felt an inexplicable sense of agitation, so without further thought, they began to recite the calming chant and heart-clearing mantra. The harsh sounds indeed lessened significantly. The gloomy rain soaked everyone’s clothes and hair, and wherever it touched, black smoke rose.

Kou Xuanling said, “We don’t have much time. The resentment in this rain is too strong, and it will soon assimilate us all. After all, we are just living souls, without physical bodies, making it easy to be influenced.”

Everyone held Taoist talismans given by the Taoist Association. If they encountered danger, they could crush the talismans to escape. But now, with fewer people, there was less power to seal the source of the resentment, and they weren’t willing to leave just yet.

Chen Yang said, “If any of you can’t handle it, just crush the talisman. I believe that Chen Qingdai and the other Tianshis wouldn’t have given us the talismans to leave without a reason. My old master also said the main purpose of choosing us to enter the crypt was to learn the Soul releasing ceremony.”

The people behind him showed no intention of crushing their talismans. Mao Xiaoying said, “I have to take my uncle back.” The others also had their own reasons for not wanting to leave.

Chang Yue tried to persuade Qiu Shengmin, “Why don’t you go back? You’ve only been practicing Taoism for two years; you might not be able to handle it.”

Qiu Shengmin, though speaking softly, had a firm attitude. “Taoist practices rely on a bit of spiritual insight. My talent is better than yours, and I learn faster than you. You’re not necessarily stronger than me now.”

Chang Yue couldn’t change her mind. He gave up and silently decided to protect her.

Seeing that everyone had made up their minds and no one wanted to leave, Chen Yang asked, “Are you sure?”

Kou Xuanling knew what he meant, so he made a reassuring hand gesture and said, “Don’t worry, we all know our limits. If we reach our limit, we’ll crush the talisman and leave. We won’t throw our lives away. And besides, just seeing those screaming heads on him, I’d rather die than stay here. It’s too disgusting.”

Mao Xiaoying’s eyes were filled with sadness. “I think my uncle has suffered so much. He’s been trapped here, tormented by resentment for over twenty years. In the end, he’s going to be devoured by that disgusting meat mountain, leaving only a head that screams endlessly.”

Chen Yang turned around, about to comfort him, when he saw Mao Zhen, standing behind Mao Xiaoying, with a gloomy expression. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms, stepping back to join Zhang Qiudao, Kou Xuanling, and the others. Mao Xiaoying looked up and asked, “What are you looking at?”

Mao Zhen slammed a punch into Mao Xiaoying’s head, “You really deserve a beating.” He hit him while cursing, “Do you think your uncle would be that messy? Do you think I could survive being devoured by that meat mountain? You foolish nephew!”

Mao Xiaoying covered his head, dodging his uncle’s beating, quickly admitting his fault and apologizing.

Suddenly, the ground trembled, and everyone lost their balance. They turned to see the meat mountain moving closer. The impact was even more intense up close, and the group quickly turned and ran. Fortunately, one of the incarnations of the City of Wrongful Death had vast, endless space.

Zhang Qiudao shouted, “I’d rather walk on a road made of piled-up corpses, live in houses made of corpses, than face a meat mountain made of human heads!”

“None of us wants to!” Chen Yang regretted not leaving the room earlier when he had exposed the source of the resentment. Had he known the local situation was this disgusting, he would have feigned ignorance. “Mao Zhen, you’ve been here for over twenty years without being assimilated. Is there a way out?”

Mao Zhen ran faster than anyone, leading the group. He answered loudly, “No!” His tone was confident, without a hint of shame. “I’ve been locked up for over twenty years. The only reason I wasn’t assimilated is because I recited the Tai Shang Dong Xuanling Bao Jiu Ku Ba Zui Miao Jing every day—morning, noon, and night. I almost puked from it. If I hadn’t pretended to be affected, I’d still be stuck underground for another twenty years. By then, not only would my body be old, but I’d have turned to ash!”

“Weren’t you the one who sealed the source of resentment before? What now?” Chen Yang had seen the murals depicting the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva performing a ‘city-breaking’ ritual, but the terrifying human meat mountain and the sinister rain that could assimilate living souls gave them no chance to perform the Soul releasing ceremony. “Are we going to fight directly?”

“Exactly!” Mao Zhen shouted, “We’ll lead it away! Once the Tianshis outside set up the altar and conduct the ritual, they’ll open the five-way underworld path and ask the Ten Directions of Mercy to shine auspicious light. The rain will be purified by that light, but it’s only temporary. The meat mountain—pah! The source of resentment relies on the continuous rain to maintain its shape. Once the rain is purified, you all can perform the Soul releasing ceremony.”

Upon hearing Mao Zhen’s response, Chen Yang stopped in his tracks. Due to inertia, he swerved to the side before quickly turning and charging toward the human head meat mountain while shouting, “Everyone scatter and hold it off!”

The others scattered in ten different directions. When facing the meat mountain, they saw it was indeed covered in human heads. No matter which direction they looked, they saw a cluster of heads hanging like grapes, with shrill, mocking laughter. Among the heads, there were men, women, children, and elderly. The children made crying sounds, while the women made high-pitched, mocking laughs.

Chen Yang found himself facing a string of dozens of women’s heads strung together, their faces obscured by long hair.

Chen Yang split the copper coin sword in his hand, transforming it into a long whip. As he charged forward, he avoided the attack from the long hair. The hair struck the ground, creating deep cracks. One could only imagine the damage if it struck the body. Chen Yang stepped on a head from the meat mountain and ran up, grabbing the attacking hair, intending to use it to pull himself up. Suddenly, his palm was stabbed, bleeding profusely.

He instinctively let go and discovered that the long hair had sharp, blade-like thorns growing out of it. The blood from his palm mixed with his own dark energy and dripped into the mouth of one of the heads below. The woman’s head immediately erupted in a shrill scream, then became the leader of all the women’s heads, commanding them to attack Chen Yang fiercely.

The entire meat mountain finally received the message and realized Chen Yang’s secret, causing it to tremble with excitement. All the heads whispered, their voices merging into a thunderous roar. “Extreme Yin physique? Get him!” “Get him! We don’t need dark energy, and we can walk in the human world without the burden of a house!” “Catch him!” “Catch him and get him!” “Grab him, I want to crawl into his mouth!” “I want to live in his organs. I want to go to the human world!!”

All the spirits in the meat mountain lost interest in tormenting the other Tianshis and rushed to capture Chen Yang. The black hair lashed like steel whips, and from the mouths of the heads, enormous, barbed tongues shot out, all attacking Chen Yang.

Chen Yang dodged around the meat mountain, folding the long whip into a copper coin sword and stabbing it into the long hair that had wrapped around his ankle. He then tried to push his mouth open and drill into the body of one of the heads. The head screamed in agony before Chen Yang swiftly decapitated it, and it fell to the ground, quickly being devoured by the heads at the bottom of the pile.

Outside, the Tianshis saw the murals on the wall vanish, and in an instant, they were surrounded by thick fog, immediately taking action. They set up the ten-direction altar, summoned the True Light of Yuan Shi, and opened the five-way underworld path to summon the Soul Purging Great God.

Among them were the generals, such as He Qiao, the Tiger of the Three Yuan, the Yin-Yang Road-opening generals, the City Lord of Mount Tai, and Zhu General, the soul-catcher of the 36 Heavenly Generals, among others. Most importantly, the Emperor of the Northern Yin, the Emperor of Fengdu, was also present to command the myriad of ghosts. They then asked the Great Merciful One to release the auspicious light, piercing through the walls and dark clouds to purify the rain.

At that moment, the Tianshis inside and outside chanted sacred mantras, the spiritual sound resonating everywhere, saving the souls and clearing the resentment.

Just as Chen Yang’s blood began to drip, and the dark energy attracted the resentment from the incarnation of the City of Wrongful Death, causing a ghost uprising, Du Shuo suddenly opened his eyes and took a step forward. Just before touching the wall, Chen Qingdai, the president of the Taoist Association, called out to him, “Great Emperor.”

Du Shuo’s figure suddenly halted and stopped in place.

Chen Qingdai said, “They need to learn to grow.”

Du Shuo suddenly turned around, exuding an air of power that was not fueled by anger, but by authority. The overwhelming presence he emitted made even Chen Qingdai’s eyelids twitch and filled him with a sense of fear. Although Du Shuo was the leader of the Tianshis, he didn’t have to care about the legacy of the Tianshis’ world, but Chen Qingdai couldn’t ignore it.

Chen Qingdai forced himself to stay calm and tried to persuade him, “Chen Yang is fine. Please don’t block his path.”

After a long pause, Du Shuo turned back around, withdrawing his intimidating aura. “I know what I’m doing.”

Chen Qingdai secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to announce to the other Tianshis, “We can begin now.”

As soon as his words fell, the Tianshis began chanting the Tai Shang Dong Xuanling Bao Jiu Ku Ba Zui Miao Jing and Yuan Shi Tian Zun Shuo Feng Du Mie Zui Jing, both classic Taoist texts used in soul-releasing ceremonies, commonly chanted during ritualistic ceremonies in Taoist temples.

Chen Yang rolled several times across the ground, leaving countless holes in the earth. Suddenly, ghostly hands shot up from the ground, grabbing his arms and legs and stealing his Taoist instrument. Chen Yang was unable to move. He looked up to see a mountain of disembodied human heads leaning toward him. The ghostly hands grabbed his chin, pried his mouth open, and the mountain of heads made a sound of pleasure, seemingly ready to invade his body.

“Divine weapon thunder soldiers, obey the command!” Zhang Qiudao shouted, and the five thunder talismans burned a path through the side of the mountain of heads. The thunder flames were so strong that the women’s hair began to shriek in panic, preventing the mountain of heads from focusing on entering Chen Yang’s mouth.

At this moment, Mao Zhen grabbed Mao Xiaoying’s hand and asked, “Do you know the Five Thunder Mantra? Do you have any cinnabar?”

Mao Xiaoying, still confused, replied, “I know the Five Thunder Mantra, but I didn’t bring the cinnabar.”

Mao Zhen, not caring about the cinnabar, saw the peach wood sword in Mao Xiaoying’s hand. He tore off the red string from the hilt and tied it around Mao Xiaoying’s middle finger. He raised his hand and recited a command, “Chì!”

Mao Zhen then bit his middle finger, wiped the blood, and drew a thunder fire symbol in his palm, replacing the cinnabar talisman. “Thunder from Mount Tai, thunder from Mount Heng… Five thunders, rush forth, obey the command!” He finished drawing the symbol and told Mao Xiaoying, “This is the Palm Thunder, remember the mantra: ‘Five hundred thunder gods reside in the palm.'”

He quickly finished reciting the mantra, “I, serving the Thunder Ancestor, obey the command, quickly!”

Mao Xiaoying turned and ran toward the mountain of heads, gritting his teeth and shouting, “Five hundred thunder gods reside in the palm… quickly, obey the command!” In an instant, the heads on the mountain exploded as if struck by lightning. Mao Xiaoying repeated the process to stop the mountain of heads from attacking Chen Yang.

However, his efforts were short-lived. The power of Palm Thunder was immense, and as a beginner, he was soon exhausted and unable to move.

A similar situation occurred with the other Tianshis. Qiu Shengmin forced herself to communicate with spirits to control the ghosts, while Chang Yue assisted her. Mi Mi used the King of Pupa, and Liu Zong was injured while trying to protect her. Hu Yingnan and Shen Yihui trusted each other’s backs and fought side by side. Meanwhile, Kou Xuanling severed the ghostly hands and pulled Chen Yang away from the mountain of heads, making them the main targets of the attack.

The attacks from the Tianshis were like ants fighting against the mountain of heads, but the mountain became more distracted. He then redirected his focus to eliminating the Tianshis, and soon they were entangled by vicious spirits and demons, unable to assist Chen Yang and Kou Xuanling.

When Chen Yang managed to escape, he picked up his copper coin sword, which had transformed into a long whip. He wrapped the whip around his waist and removed the Great Emperor of Fengdu’s seal from his neck. Combining it with his heart’s seal, he tried to suppress the evil spirits. But he could only suppress half of them, while others, like the mirage ghosts, could not be controlled.

The mirage ghost laughed maniacally, “I fear nothing, not even Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. How can I be afraid of the Great Emperor of Fengdu’s seal? If Fengdu stood before me, I’d still fear him three parts. But this petty seal cannot stop me. I still have a thousand ghosts to command!”

As soon as he spoke, the mountain of heads visibly crumbled, and countless evil spirits climbed out, tethered to a central round ball by twisted pieces of flesh. The scene was more revolting than the mountain of heads itself. Chen Yang’s expression changed, “Is he trying to challenge the limits of disgust?”

Kou Xuanling responded, “Let’s see if we can destroy that ball.”

Chen Yang shouted, “Mao Xiaoying, use your Palm Thunder to strike that meatball!”

Mao Xiaoying then used his last Palm Thunder on the meatball, but it only blew off small chunks of flesh, which began to regenerate slowly. Mao Xiaoying collapsed on the ground, unable to move. Mao Zhen hurried to drag him away. Mao Xiaoying weakly asked, “Uncle, can you carry me?”

Mao Zhen refused, saying, “I’m too weak.”

Mao Xiaoying reluctantly asked, “Then could you at least drag my upper body? Don’t drag my lower half.”

“Okay,” Mao Zhen replied, feeling like a kind uncle.

Chen Yang slashed at the evil spirits crawling toward him, throwing his copper coin sword at the meatball, but it was slowly swallowed by it. Zhang Qiudao saw this and withdrew the motion to throw his Seven-Star Sword, saying, “We can’t kill the meatball.”

The Tianshis’ strength had significantly dwindled. Mi Mi, Qiu Shengmin, and Mao Zhen were exhausted, and Chang Yue and Liu Zong were protecting Mi Mi and Qiu Shengmin. Now, only Chen Yang, Kou Xuanling, Zhang Qiudao, and Hu Yingnan and Shen Yihui remained, but even they were running low on energy.

Mao Zhen clasped his hands behind his back and shouted to the five remaining, “Hang in there! Based on experience, the other Tianshis are preparing outside. The Ten Directions Heavenly Lord’s auspicious light will soon arrive. Trust me!”

Kou Xuanling took a deep breath and said, “Liu Zong, can you punch him?”

Liu Zong, assessing the current battle power of both sides, apologetically said, “I would be killed.”

Kou Xuanling muttered a few curses, while Mao Zhen smiled, watching them with an expression of satisfaction. He was pristine and spotless, in stark contrast to their messy and worn state—clearly from two different worlds.

Mao Zhen addressed the exhausted younger Tianshis behind him, “This is a test, a test for all of you. Hey, don’t lie there—sit up, cross your legs, and sit up. We’re still waiting for you to chant the Tai Shang Dong Xuanling Bao Jiu Ku Ba Zui Miao Jing and Yuan Shi Tian Zun Shuo Feng Du Mie Zui Jing.”

Mi Mi tugged on Mao Xiaoying’s sleeve, asking, “Is your uncle really like this, or is he just suddenly releasing his nature after being oppressed for so long?”

Mao Xiaoying replied, “My dad says that Uncle has a free-spirited nature.” In short, he was a bit of a troublemaker.

Chen Yang exhaled and said to Kou Xuanling and Zhang Qiudao, “Protect me for a moment. I’ll use the Great Emperor of Fengdu’s seal one more time.” The two immediately shielded him, and Chen Yang quickly formed a seal, activating the Fengdu Great Emperor’s power. Golden light spread in all directions, rippling like waves on a water surface.

A large number of ghosts were once again suppressed, but Chen Yang collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath. Using the Great Emperor of Fengdu’s seal and heart seal twice had drained nearly all of his energy.

The mirage ghost laughed loudly, “You can’t kill me. Killing you is only a matter of time.”

Indeed, as he said, without the purification of the Ten Directions Heavenly Lord’s auspicious light to dispel the resentment in the endless rain of doom, they would have been done for. When the Ten Directions Heavenly Lord’s light pierced through the darkness, purifying the relentless rain and allowing the exhausted group to regain some strength, countless ghosts screamed in pain, while the mirage ghost screamed in fear. The meatball shuddered as though searching for somewhere to hide.

At that moment, the Heavenly Lord spoke, “At that time, the Savior, who saves all from sin, and who guides all from suffering, … bestows divine power to suppress the demon spirit.”

Chen Yang turned around and saw the young Tianshi, who had previously been lazy and indifferent, now sitting cross-legged, forming a seal, and chanting the sacred mantra with a clear and pure youthful voice. The melodious chant resonated, purifying sins and dispelling resentment.

Behind Mao Zhen, Mi Mi, Mao Xiaoying, and the others all sat cross-legged, chanting the Soul releasing ceremony mantras. Chen Yang withdrew his gaze and sat cross-legged as well, chanting, “Summoning the heavenly forces, to bind the nine heavens’ souls. The divine gods of salvation, seeing the time of deliverance.”

The Tianshis’ spiritual chants merged, “I bow to the Supreme Lord, who can cleanse all sins.” The sound flowed like a gentle stream, a soothing, continuous melody that echoed like water flowing over stones, filling the air with a serene, calming presence. It washed away all evil in the world, allowing one to return to their true essence.

The auspicious light illuminated the entire transformed city of the dead, casting a glow on each Tianshi’s face, reflecting their sincere devotion. Though battered and exhausted, their hearts remained pure in their mission to save the world. Their selfless commitment allowed the Ten Directions Heavenly Lord’s light to gather the celestial scriptures chanted by the other Tianshis outside.

“All the Heavenly Lords of the Ten Directions, as numerous as grains of sand, transform within the realms of the Ten Directions, universally saving and guiding the heavens and the people…”

The clear and peaceful chant resonated with grace, spreading the auspicious light. The malevolent ghosts’ resentment was dissolved, allowing them to be reincarnated. Meanwhile, the mirage ghost, hidden beneath the meatball, found that the meatball shattered under the purifying light, breaking into powder. Only a faint grayish resentment remained, sinking into the earth, awaiting the next day it would awaken. Unable to escape, the mirage ghost—who had done so many evil deeds—was ultimately killed.

Chen Yang opened his eyes amidst the resonant spiritual chants, feeling a profound understanding well up within him. He seemed to touch the threshold of the Dao. What is the Dao? What is the Law? The Dao and the Law are one with nature, and the heart is free and unburdened. What is a Tianshi? A Tianshi stands firm in the mountains and rivers when necessary and retreats to care for their small world when not.

To save the people, to remain true to one’s heart—this is the way of a Tianshi!

Author’s Note:
Phew~ I’ve been stuck on the ending for so long, almost to the point of blood pressure! Finally managed to finish it.
There will be a side story tomorrow, and there will be many parts, so don’t worry.
All the spells and Taoist techniques in this story are taken from Taoist scriptures.

 

 

 

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