The Calamity of Impermanence - - - Chapter 270

Chapter 270 The ghost willows controlled by Fan Wu She and Jiang Qu Lian’s army started a ferocious and huge war on Huangquan Road. Billions of willow branches turned into blood-sworn* spiritual snakes, whipping and entangling the enemies in the forest. Thick roots stretched out from the bloody fertile soil, dragging them mercilessly into the ground and becoming their own nutrients.

For a time, the shrill ghost cries rang through the underworld and pierced the eardrums like needles, which was absolutely terrifying. Jiang Qu Lian and Xie Bi An had already exchanged more than a hundred blows. Cui Jue’s words not only angered him just now, but also disrupted his mind, forcing him to recall the memory he was most reluctant to revisit. He couldn’t face his own stupidity, and he couldn’t even accept that he’d exhausted everything and gotten nothing. Instead, he ended up being thrown into the Hungry Ghost Path.

He would always remember the moment when he ate thousands of fierce ghosts and finally became a ghost king. The moment he became a ghost king, the first thing he did was to sneak into Yanluo Hall and look for his trial scrolls. He wanted to know what he had done in his previous life to suffer such a punishment. He had eaten his own mother, companions, and followers. When he felt hungry, his intellect was defeated by appetite and instinct repeatedly. For hundreds of years, he was like an animal that went mad at any time, and countless times after he became clear-headed, he found that he stuffed his mouth full of rotten meat, or he chewed the people he cared about until only limbs and bones were left.

When he saw a few pages of records on the scroll, under that great trigger, he remembered everything in his past life. It turned out that everything he had suffered, from an Asura who transcended reincarnation and could live forever and never get old, to degenerating into a hungry ghost worse than a beast, was just because he fell in love with an eminent and unapproachable god who had never looked at him. It turned out that the greatest evil he did deliberately was merely smashing 72 immortal peaches. At that moment, he felt more sadder and ridiculous than hate. There was no doubt he was stupid, but it was not up to others to manipulate his fate. What should really be smashed was the perfect status of the gods and the means of life, death, rewards, and punishments used by the heavenly palace to rule the three realms the six paths of reincarnation. Why could celestial beings enjoy the privilege? Why should he be a hungry ghost? Why should the six paths of reincarnation assign ranks, advantages, and disadvantages to all living creatures? Why could Lan Jiang not even look at him just because he was an Asura?

The seed of hatred he planted at that time finally became a towering tree after watering it with blood and tears for two lifetimes. Its root system was deeply rooted in the poison of the soul. Only blood, killing, and revenge could alleviate the piercing pain of the poison. When he saw Lan Chui Han in Chidi City, despite him being only a sixteen or seventeen year old boy, outstanding, confident, cheerful, friendly, caring, and only a mortal rumored to be weak and sick at a young age and nearly died, he was certain at just a glance that Lan Chui Han was the reincarnation of Lan Jiang. He would never forget that face.

It was difficult to describe the raging emotions at that moment. He still remembered the feeling of trembling all over. He, who originally came to see the excitement, possessed a person without thinking. That person was Cangyu Sect leader Qi Meng Sheng’s second disciple, who was responsible for receiving the Lan family who came to Chidi City to forge a sword using Shen Nang Ding. There was also the word ‘Yun’ in the name – – – – Yun Zhong Jun. Just for the sake of Lan Chui Han smiling at him, to cup his fist in the other hand, to gaze at him, and call him “brother Yun”. What he thought and pursued in his previous life was just so that condescending god could seriously look at him and call out his name. Such a humble and pitiful wish had been annihilated with countless pain and suffering and had long since distorted its true form.

Despite the current reincarnated Lan Jiang having no memory of anything and was a mortal, he neither dared to ignore him, nor was he his opponent. Lan Chui Han was even younger than him, but he still wanted something from this person to make up for what he did not get. So, his identity in the human realm had completely become Yun Zhong Jun. During those ten years, he deployed his master plan while deliberately getting close to Lan Chui Han.

He finally got what he wished for, and saw many emotions appear in those eyes because of him: joy, admiration, concentration, fascination, and love. Facing Lan Chui Han, whose eyes were filled with him, his soul had split into two. Half of it was indulgence, and the other half was anger. He was angry at the fact that Lan Chui Han was not the real Lan Jiang, and what he got was not him. He was angry at the fact that he could not part with this substitute. He was angry at the fact that after 60o years, he still could not let go. A thought arose in his mind. He wanted to make Lan Chui Han remember it. He did not know why Lan Chui Han was demoted to a mortal, but this person must remember it. He wanted that arrogant god from back then to remember how he treated him in his previous life, and then see how he subverted the three realms and six paths, reversed the ranks, the advantages and disadvantages between them, and avenged his shame with his own eyes.

Lan Chui Han must remember it, so he threw him into the Chamber of Nightmares. As long as the strongest and most painful memories were repeated constantly, Lan Chui Han would recover the memories of his previous life under the great trigger. He would let Lan Chui Han see how he ruled the Underworld and how he controlled the six paths of reincarnation with his own eyes.

Although his plan had obstacles, everything was developing in the direction of his plan. No one could stop him, no one! When Jiang Qu Lian was distracted several times, he was wounded three times by Xie Bi An. He tried to calm his mind, but the trigger from Cui Jue’s words was so destructive that he was already on the edge of going insane. Although he had made great achievements in cultivating the Hungry Ghost Path, he couldn’t change his nature as a hungry ghost if he didn’t become an immortal. He had already escaped from the control of the lowly sense of hunger. After becoming the ghost king, he had not been out of control for zoo years. Once he lost control, he would return to the most primitive instinctive desire – – – – eating. So, he must not lose control. He swayed and turned into a strange red fog that spread around Xie Bi An, who vigilantly spun around to defend himself in it. In that moment of sensing the fluctuation of the murderous aura, he swung his sword in that area. Indeed, there was a huge ghost claw in the direction of the sword.

The two missed and passed each other. The ghost claw brushed past Xie Bi An’s shoulder, and it was hot and painful. He hurriedly gestured a detoxification enchantment, but he still saw the wound was rapidly blackening and stinking under the effect of the corpse poison. Jiang Qu Lian stretched out his tongue and gently licked his blood-stained fingertips: “Your blood is sweet and tastes not bad. I’m sure your heart and core must be delicious too.”

“Come and get it if you have the ability.” Xie Bi An crossed his sword in front of him and sneered, “I think you only know how to bluff. In fact, you are timid and weak You have been entangled with Lan Chui Han for two lifetimes, yet you don’t even dare to look at his previous life. So pathetic.” Xie Bi An had also discovered that constantly triggering Jiang Qu Lian could disrupt his mind, and the one who could trigger this red-clothed ghost king the most was Lan Chul Han.

Jiang Qu Lian’s eyes became increasingly red: “Then how about you? How much courage did you have to face the past after you found out that your past self was helpless, incompetent, useless, and a failure?” “I didn’t want to face it, but I did anyway.” Xie Bi An asked in reply using the same tone, “What about you?” “If you hadn’t saved Lan Chul Han, I would have heard about his past life from him personally. Would he have explained, quibbled, or repented? In any case, he would have paid for his past life.” “He won’t, because after he came out of the Chamber of Nightmares, the nightmare was still in his heart. Now, he’s like a walking corpse.” Xie Bi An said coldly, “Is this what you wanted to see?” Jiang Qu Lian’s expression moved slightly, and he gave a mocking laugh, “That’s what he deserved.”

Xie Bi An stopped talking nonsense with him. Seeing that there were more Yin soldiers and ghost generals coming, Fan Wu She controlled the ghost willow alone to resist the powerful army. This battle must be resolved quickly. Dragging on would be most detrimental to them. He took out the Shanhe Sheji Map from his qiankun bag: “Jiang Qu Lian, go and die.”

SQC’s note: Ahhhhhhh I can’t believe I still haven’t finished writing. Xinjiang is too big. I work from dawn to dusk every day. It’s definitely the most tiring trip I’ve ever experienced… Although it’s really beautiful o (x_…x)o Sony, everyone! The promise (of updating a chapter twice the normal length—mentioned on her Weibo) l made yesterday will be made up tomorrow!

blood-sworn—- actual meaning: smear one’s lips with the blood of a sacrifice as a means of pledging allegiance in ancient times