The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 203 - 198: The Departed Becomes the Heart Demon

Chapter 203: Chapter 198: The Departed Becomes the Heart Demon

Alas, Daoist Equal to Heaven was overcome with grief and fainted on the spot.

This action startled everyone who was listening to the sermon, but the Heaven-Penetrating sect leader waved his hand and dismissed his disciples.

Wusheng asked, "What’s wrong with this fellow? Why the sudden madness?"

Narrowing his eyes, the Heaven-Penetrating sect leader gently pinched his fingers together and after a moment, he said, "So that’s how it is!"

Impatient, Wusheng inquired, "What exactly is going on?"

Heaven-Penetrating sect leader explained, "He once entered the Bagua Oven and became entangled in a significant karmic debt with someone. Now that person has faced their tribulation and departed, it’s natural for him to be devastated and wrought with sorrow. No need to panic, he will wake up on his own before long."

Wusheng shook his head and remarked, "This guy truly values loyalty and righteousness; he indeed does our Sect of Interception proud."

Sitting cross-legged, the Heaven-Penetrating sect leader lamented, "Sadly, the karmic ties are too deep; I’m afraid he may develop a Heart Demon."

After a short while, Daoist Equal to Heaven opened his eyes, hurried to the Heaven-Penetrating sect leader, and knelt, kowtowing three times.

"Master, I need your help with something!" Daoist Equal to Heaven pleaded.

"Mm. There’s no need for words; I already know. That person has indeed faced their tribulation, or else you wouldn’t suddenly feel such heartache," the Heaven-Penetrating sect leader replied.

Ravished by the confirmation, Daoist Equal to Heaven felt as if struck by lightning and spat out a mouthful of blood, almost fainting once more.

Recalling Tao Yao’s innocence and charm brought waves of pain to his heart, truly as if it were torn apart. With a quavering voice, he asked, "Saint, with your power that reaches through heaven and earth, is there any way to bring her back to life?"

Heaven-Penetrating sect leader answered, "There is no way! She was one of the nine divine pulses of Pangu the Great God, born to fulfill this predestined fate. The tribulation she faced was determined by the Heavenly Dao; it’s inevitable and irreversible, and even if you had been there, you couldn’t have stopped it. Although a Saint may have the means to resurrect the dead, they too cannot defy destiny and oppose the Heavenly Dao. Trying to do so would be futile, like drawing cakes to satisfy hunger, and even a Saint would be punished by the Heavenly Dao."

Unable to contain his curiosity, Daoist Equal to Heaven inquired, "How did she die?"

"Destiny willed it so. It was her fate to face this tribulation, and she could not escape it. That is life. Pangu was born to create heaven and earth, and she was born to face this tribulation," the Heaven-Penetrating sect leader remarked indifferently.

Daoist Equal to Heaven, with a heart heavy with grief, regretted not spending more time with her. Now that she was gone, and there was no turning back, what could he do? He prostrated so forcefully on the ground that his forehead bled, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the ache in his heart.

Wusheng helped Daoist Equal to Heaven to his feet, consoling him, "Don’t be sad. For us, the people of the Immortal Path, life is endless. These things are but a passing cloud."

With tears in his eyes, Daoist Equal to Heaven nodded, sat cross-legged, and recited a segment from the ’Sutra for Crossing Sentient Beings’ as a form of solace for himself and as a way to aid her spirit.

Tao Yao’s tribulation was inevitable; the nine divine pulses of Pangu transformed into the nine Mother Peach Trees for a specific purpose— for usage by those nine individuals. Thus, this tribulation was inescapable! However, Tao Yao was luckier. She developed consciousness and became a spirit. The rest were not so fortunate; they remained bewildered, waiting to mature and to be refined by others.

Only then did Daoist Equal to Heaven understand why the person in the Heaven-Avoiding Coffin had allowed Tao Yao to grow—to prepare for this very day. Thinking of this, he could not help but feel sorrow for the cheerful young girl who, even knowing her fate, bore no grudge and lived joyously every day up until her departure. Acknowledging her fate... Daoist Equal to Heaven let out a deep sigh toward the heavens.

"Indeed, the path of the immortals is long and endless. Although Tao Yao has left us, I must continue the struggle. How solitary, how lonely will the road ahead be?" Harboring these thoughts, Daoist Equal to Heaven could not help but feel genuinely uncomfortable at the absence of the lively and naïve girl.

Enlightenment Dao had reached the Mira Palace and, upon seeing the Heaven-Penetrating sect leader, paid his respects, saying, "Here are four Swallowing Dragon Steles, and you have five. Now that we have all nine, I wonder what their purpose could be."

With a wave of their hands, they revealed the Nine Dragon-Consuming Steles, each standing over nine zhang tall, with divine dragons coiling around and biting the steles.

The Heaven-Penetrating sect leader shook his head; the inscriptions on the steles appeared to be haphazard scribbles, except for one neatly arranged stele containing the prophecy of Fuxi. The rest were in utter chaos, with no semblance of order, indecipherable. Deciphering the contents of the steles was an unimaginable task—even for a Saint, it felt overwhelming.

"These Heavenly Dao Runes are extremely difficult to interpret, and they need to be pieced together one by one. It’s hard to say how much time this will take!" the Heaven-Penetrating sect leader lamented.

"The one in the Heaven-Avoiding Coffin mentioned that once I have these nine Swallowing Dragon Steles in hand, I will naturally understand," Enlightenment Dao responded.

The nine steles were placed together, yet nothing happened, which inevitably led to disappointment among those present.

"Perhaps some chance encounter is required. These steles are not mundane; even though no one paid attention to them before, their value is now known. Keep them well preserved and wait for the future to see their effects," said Wusheng, shaking his head, somewhat let down that the gathering of the nine steles had not triggered any response.

Daoist Equal to Heaven nodded and said, "Perhaps it will not be until later that the full divine power and effects of the Swallowing Dragon Stele can be put to use. Who knows what mysteries are contained within!"

Leader of Heaven-Penetrating also speculated that perhaps the cultivation of Daoist Equal to Heaven and Enlightenment Dao was insufficient, which was why, even with the Nine Dragon-Consuming Steles in hand, they could not be utilized, and there was no reaction.

"Disciple now has no heart to listen further; please forgive me, Master!" Daoist Equal to Heaven said with a bow.

"Hmm. Since you are not in the mood to listen, you may descend to the Lower Realm. If there’s an important matter, call my name three times, and I will naturally send Wusheng to find you. Do not lightly come to Upper Pure Heaven so as to avoid detection by those with intentions, which could only spell trouble," said the Leader of Heaven-Penetrating, nodding his head.

Daoist Equal to Heaven and Enlightenment Dao kowtowed their thanks, and the Leader of Heaven-Penetrating curiously asked, "And whence came this physical body and Primordial Spirit of yours?"

"This physical body was originally that of the Water Monkey Great Saint Wuzhiqi from ancient times, captured by brother Da Yu, later discovered by the Buddhist sect’s King Bodhisattva. After we killed the King Bodhisattva, we seized this body. As for the Primordial Spirit, it was acquired within the Black Tower of Xing Tian’s War God Secret Realm, belonging originally to the Tongbei Monkey Yuan Hong," Enlightenment Dao replied.

"Oh! I see," the Leader of Heaven-Penetrating commented as he nodded, "Well, if there’s nothing else, you may go!"

After leaving the Mira Palace together, Daoist Equal to Heaven and Enlightenment Dao descended, and Daoist Equal to Heaven said, "I will recuperate for a few days before cleansing my Primordial Spirit. The stronger my mana, the better, to protect those I wish to protect."

Despite feeling sorrowful inside, he knew he must persevere and not give up.

Enlightenment Dao took charge of the Nine Dragon-Consuming Steles since he was the only one in the Buddhist circle capable of wielding this Magical Treasure. Should Daoist Equal to Heaven utilise them as well, it would likely arouse suspicion.

Daoist Equal to Heaven ascended to the heavens to cultivate his Qi, preparing to cleanse his Primordial Spirit. If he could find the Heaven-Avoiding Coffin, he might inquire whether there was any chance for Tao Yao to be revived. But who knew if the Heaven-Avoiding Coffin was still within the Sea of Thunder? Perhaps it had moved to another place to recuperate. They were all severely wounded, otherwise, they wouldn’t have needed the Mother Peach Tree and borrowed its Chaotic True Qi.

Enlightenment Dao returned to Flower-Fruit Mountain and relayed the news to his brothers, who couldn’t help but feel very saddened.

"Xiao Taozi was a good person; it’s just so unexpected such a conclusion would come about," Peng Demon King couldn’t help but lament.

"That girl was quite adorable; I saw how you seemed to have taken a fancy to her, Seventh Brother, yet you ignorant clod did not cherish her!" Jiao Demon King said, patting Enlightenment Dao’s shoulder.

"It’s futile to talk more... The path of immortality is perilous; although everyone is immortal, no one knows when the great catastrophe will arrive! Hence, to be an immortal is to cherish life, to value one’s existence!" Having experienced such an event, Enlightenment Dao couldn’t help but sigh. His heart felt empty, and every thought of this matter made him want to weep bitterly.

Upon hearing the news, Princess Iron Fan couldn’t help but shed tears, saying, "The little sister was indeed quite a lovely person, so innocent and charming. What a pity fate was unkind to her. Alas, I do not know who could have been so heartless as to have her to meet such a dire fate."

As she spoke, she couldn’t help but think of Ox Demon King, feeling that the immortal path was fraught with danger. Perhaps one day, either she or Ox Demon King could meet with a terrible end. Seeing Enlightenment Dao as a painful example, her heart couldn’t help but ache.

With a sigh, Princess Iron Fan mounted the clouds and returned to Banana Leaf Cave, deciding to forgive Ox Demon King when he came to her to admit his fault.

Enlightenment Dao then said, "I, as Daoist Equal to Heaven, am now about to cleanse my Primordial Spirit in the Sea of Thunder. Would any of you brothers wish to come and see?"

"Not going, not going! It was enough to see you reach the Indestructible Realm; besides, Second Brother also achieved it, followed by Third Brother who has also been cleansed. Only the last three of us remain behind. Seeing yet another of your forms cleanse your Primordial Spirit would be just too demoralizing! We’d rather concentrate on cultivating here," the Lion Camel King said.

Afterward, Jiao Demon King and Peng Demon King cleansed their Primordial Spirits in the Sea of Thunder, attained the Indestructible Realm, which made Lion Camel King, Macaques King, and Yu Rong King envious. These Demon Kings were all fiercely competitive and couldn’t bear to fall behind. Now hearing that Daoist Equal to Heaven was about to cleanse his Primordial Spirit in the Sea of Thunder, they were extremely envious and feared that watching it would make them even more jealous.

"Then I shall go," said Enlightenment Dao. "I must cleanse the Primordial Spirit; it acts as a protector for the physical body. Otherwise, if someone takes my body, that would be really bad!"

"Go then, but are you truly in the right state to cleanse your Primordial Spirit?" asked Peng Demon King.

"Perhaps it is exactly through this that I can break through and defeat the Heart Demon that has arisen from this affair. Otherwise, my cultivation will be fraught with even greater danger," Enlightenment Dao sighed.

Peng Demon King and Jiao Demon King nodded in agreement; Enlightenment Dao’s words rang true. The greater the adversity faced, the more one must paddle against the current to avoid falling victim to Heart Demons. Otherwise, the higher the cultivation, the more devastating the eruption of those Heart Demons could be.

The death of Tao Yao had become his Heart Demon, become his regret... Should he fail to vanquish this Heart Demon at this opportunity, then once his cultivation level increased, if it burst forth at a critical moment, he would likely turn to ashes.

One must face the Heart Demon, not avoid it. Facing the pain head-on is the act of the brave.

Mounting the clouds, Enlightenment Dao ascended to the heavens.

The outcome, whether fortunate or disastrous, will be revealed in the next Chapter. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome you to vote for it with recommendation tickets, monthly tickets at Starting Point (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)