Chapter 164: Chapter 161: Jiuying Unkilled, Known as Yamata no Orochi Chapter 164: Chapter 161: Jiuying Unkilled, Known as Yamata no Orochi Hu Li led the Ox Demon King and the others towards the direction of the Green Hills Country, traveling swiftly without slowing down.

The Ox Demon King said, “That Xihe was a fake, the real one perished during the great war of the Middle Ancient Times. So who is this Sun Goddess now? What’s her relationship with the Heavenly Illuminating Holy King?”

Enlightenment Dao asked, “Fifth Brother, do you know the origin of this Sun Goddess, since you boast of knowing the past and future five thousand years?”

The Macaques King sneered, “That’s just a claim. You believed it? The meaning of Tathagata, in the language of Yingzhou, is simply the sun, nothing more. The Heavenly Illuminating Holy King and this Sun Goddess you’re talking about probably just share a similar name—you’re overthinking it. However, the key point is what you mentioned about Various Heavens. Perhaps the great war of the Middle Ancient Times was a confrontation between the saints of Buddhism and Daoism against the Various Heavens.”

Enlightenment Dao surmised that the Journey to the West was related to the Various Heavens, and now Tathagata, who presided over Mount Meru, was also inextricably linked with the Various Heavens. This riddle must be solved. The person in the coffin, the characters on the Swallowing Dragon Stele, the Giant Gate of the Hate Heaven Secret Realm… All of this still required unraveling, one layer at a time.

Although the Macaques King was the most well-traveled and knowledgeable among his brothers, there were still many things he did not know.

Enlightenment Dao thought to himself, “The current struggle for supremacy between Buddhism and Daoism has escalated into a conflict because of the intervention of the Netherworld Blood Sea, and the situation nearly spiraled out of control. That’s why Buddha Ancestor and Ancestral Taoist Master began to preach, gathering disciples of both Buddhism and Daoism to listen peacefully, preventing them from meddling in the strife of Human Path’s destiny. Even though this suppression is only temporary, there will likely be more strife in the future!”

Having personally experienced the Journey to the West and being a pawn of it, he certainly understood some of the intentions of both the Buddhist and Daoist sides. This struggle for destiny might just be a minor squabble. The attitude of the Three Pure was very perplexing. Tathagata spread the Huahu Scripture, but Laojun did not step forward to clarify, which was truly baffling.

Speaking of the Ming River, it really didn’t know better, daring to share a hand in the grand affairs between the colossal forces of Buddhism and Daoism. It deserved to be injured by Tathagata.

Now, Enlightenment Dao wasn’t too keen on paying attention to the rise and fall of the Human Path. The inertia of the Heavenly Dao was too strong. History, slightly altered by him, quickly returned to its original trajectory. It seemed that some inevitable events couldn’t be avoided. Even if he were to stop them, someone else would probably fill the gap later on. It was a helpless reality that he had to accept. The most pressing issue was to quickly help Hu Li kill the Yamata no Orochi, then let the Ox Demon King win her heart—all’s well that ends well—before he could properly enter seclusion to cultivate and refine his Primordial Spirit.

Hu Li led everyone into the Green Hill Secret Realm, where they encountered a Nine-Headed Serpent coiling inside.

“This is Jiuying, not the Yamata no Orochi!” the Macaques King gasped, speaking softly.

Before them, the beast had nine heads and a kirin’s body, with serpent heads, and the one in the center bore a feathered arrow. It was coiled up sleeping in the midst of the Green Hill Secret Realm.

The people of Yingzhou simply referred to it as Yamata no Orochi, while Jiuying itself did not wish to reveal its identity, thus it also claimed to be the Yamata no Orochi.

Jiuying, sowing chaos in Ancient Times, was then ordered to be killed by Hou Yi. Hou Yi’s archery was unparalleled, his Nine Stars Consecutive Beads technique shot off its nine heads, leading Jiuying to a wrongful death. Though it was said to have died, Jiuying actually survived and fled to Yingzhou Island for a long period of convalescence. After healing most of the wounds inflicted by Hou Yi, it awoke seeking blood to consume, naturally making the Green Hill Fox Demon clan its prey.

Jiuying was ferocious by nature and shunned by people. Meanwhile, Hou Yi has been characterized as an upright person. When Jiuying committed atrocities, Hou Yi stepped in to eliminate Jiuying. However, no one expected Jiuying to be so sly, hiding in Yingzhou and letting people believe it was dead by Hou Yi’s hand. Now, with Hou Yi slain by Lu Ya, this cycle of karma could only be left unresolved.

Hou Yi was also among the powerful Mixed Yuan Golden Immortals, but Lu Ya was no weaker. His Immortal-Slaying and God-Punishing Treasured Saber was an artifact that demons and gods avoided. He took advantage of the Magical Treasure to ambush and easily decapitate victims with a simple command to the treasured blade, beheading people and slaying their Primordial Spirits. No matter how powerful Hou Yi was, it was impossible to be on guard day and night against Lu Ya’s treasured saber.

“This is Jiuying, not some damned Yamata no Orochi. Brothers, if you wish to act, be careful!” exclaimed the Macaques King.

Jiuying was currently injured, not fully recovered, with a Sun-Shooting Arrow still embedded in its central head, a remnant from Hou Yi. Had Jiuying not suffered severe injuries from Hou Yi’s consecutive nine arrows, it would likely have had nine dragon heads instead.

Now Jiuying had nine massive serpent heads, a body like a kirin, covered in dragon scales, with five claws, and a tail like a spear—all in all, a terrifying sight.

With a trembling voice, Hu Li said, “This is the Yamata no Orochi that harmed my Green Hill Fox Demon clan…”

The Ox Demon King wore a solemn expression and said, “Jiuying hasn’t recovered yet. Look, there’s still the Sun-Shooting Arrow that Hou Yi shot in its forehead! It’s said that Jiuying, a nine-headed dragon, existed since the separation of heaven and earth. Its current form has serpent heads, which shows a devolution. The question is how strong it is and whether we can handle it?”

Facing such an infamous ancient beast, even the seven brothers felt extreme terror. To vanquish such a creature was daunting. Although it was still affected by Hou Yi’s arrow wound, its actual strength was unknown.

The Macaques King said, “To kill Jiuying, you need to sever all nine of its heads at the same time, otherwise, it will quickly resurrect. Back then, Hou Yi only triumphed by using the Nine Stars Consecutive Beads technique. We’re only seven here, how can we defeat it?”

Licking his lips, Enlightenment Dao said, “We have to try! Jiuying is still recuperating. If we let it recover and reemerge into the world, there will likely be a bloody disaster. Eliminating this fiend is our duty.”

The Macaques King said, “If only we had known, we wouldn’t have let Lu Ya leave. We should have asked him to help us slay Jiuying.”

Yet the Peng Demon King sneered, “Jiuying was Hou Yi’s archenemy. It’s doubtful Lu Ya would have lifted a finger.”

The Macaque King first had all the brothers withdraw from the Green Hill Secret Realm, then discussed a strategy.

“Later we can only attack the other two heads with duplicates, the seven of us – each of us will handle one head,” declared the Peng Demon King.

“Let me try. I’ve just returned from Shushan and learned a few powerful moves from Song Lun, among which is a technique called Sword Shadow Clone. It uses sword qi to create clones, quite formidable in power, and can also be used for self-destruction,” Enlightenment Dao nodded as he spoke.

“Good! Then I’ll attack the far left head, Old Bull you take the middle, and the rest of the brothers can choose theirs,” said the Peng Demon King.

“I’ll take the three on the right,” Enlightenment Dao stated solemnly.

After the brothers agreed on their plan, they left Hu Li outside and entered the Secret Realm together, ready to take action.

Meanwhile, on Mount Meru in the Western Heaven, Tathagata calculated with his fingers and commanded the Peacock Great Ming King Bodhisattva Kong Xuan to leave his body and discuss matters in the rear hall, while his half Primordial Spirit continued preaching in the front hall.

Kong Xuan knelt and asked, “What does the Buddha Ancestor summon me for?”

Tathagata responded, “A sudden premonition came to me as I calculated that there’s someone in the Yingzhou realm who has a connection with our Buddhist sect, known as the Nine-Headed Serpent. Go and bring it here.”

Kong Xuan inquired, “Where does this Nine-Headed Serpent come from?”

Tathagata laughed and said, “It was none other than Jiuying, shot and killed by Hou Yi in ancient times. It seems a calamity is about to befall, causing it to shed its body and transform into a Nine-Headed Serpent. Bring it to our sect; it might be useful later on!”

Kong Xuan pressed his palms together and said, “I will obey the decree. But what if someone tries to stop me?”

Tathagata’s smile didn’t reach his eyes as he said, “Then simply scatter your Five-Colored Divine Light at them, whether they live or die.”

Kong Xuan bowed again and said, “When should I set out?”

Tathagata frowned slightly and said, “Jiuying will face its tribulation soon; you should go now. Make sure to bring it here, it may help make up our eighty-one challenges.”

Kong Xuan nodded, “Very well, I will depart immediately!”

Kong Xuan’s Primordial Spirit returned to his body, and he stood up. Tathagata halted the preaching and Kong Xuan said, “Buddha Ancestor, I have matters to attend to and cannot stay to listen.”

“Peacock Great Ming King Bodhisattva, you are free to go. After your task, come back to listen to my teachings,” Tathagata said with a smile.

Kong Xuan acknowledged and transformed into a ray of Five-Colored Divine Light, leaving the Da Xiong Palace, passing over the Southern Toad Continent and Dongsheng Immortal State, directly exiting the Eastern Sea, and heading toward Yingzhou.

All the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas glanced at the departing Kong Xuan, knowing he must be on a mission from the Buddha Ancestor. Yet they remained silent, each with eyes downcast and demure.

Tathagata resumed, “We were just discussing the teachings on the salvation of all living beings; let’s continue.”

With that said, the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas focused once again, listening to Tathagata’s sermon. His tuneful voice blossomed from his tongue like lotuses; each word he spoke transformed into beautiful sounds, taking to the air and manifesting into Sanskrit characters, gently floating and forming scriptures. Words turned into laws, and such a level was reached by only a few individuals – Tathagata was among them.

To find out what happens next, please stay tuned for the following episode.

PS: Someone privately messaged me yesterday saying, “Lu Ya still comes before, how could he be a Yuan Shi disciple…” This statement “First came Hongjun, then the heavens; Lu Ya still comes before” is merely one concocted by fabrications in the ‘Investiture of the Gods’ storytelling. In ‘Investiture of the Gods’, Hongjun is the most formidable, bar none. I specifically checked online, and all sorts of claims popped up, like Lu Ya being Hongjun’s junior brother and other claims about him being the founder of primordial spirits… It gets dizzying. These claims are inventions of internet novels or storytelling adaptations, not part of the official divine canon or even classical mythology fiction.

Lu Ya, Hongjun, including characters like Jiang Ziya and many other immortals, are purely fictional, created by novelists and not part of established mythology. If you carefully read ‘Investiture of the Gods’ you’ll realize it, and deduce that Lu Ya, who self-proclaims to be the Kunlun Hermit, has the Jade Void Palace on the Kunlun Mountains, and why would his most valuable magical treasure be given to Jiang Ziya? Upon Jiang Ziya’s death, naturally, the treasure would return to Yuan Shi’s hands! Isn’t the origin of the Immortal-Slaying and God-Punishing Treasured Saber from Yuan Shi himself? It was merely reclaimed through Jiang Ziya’s hands.

Internet novels may be more exciting and interesting than traditional literature, but my friends, do not neglect traditional culture. At the very least, distinguish clearly between established myths, classical mythology fiction, and modern internet novels, lest you aim to expose others only to embarrass yourself. I didn’t want to explain these things, but seeing that many have asked, I thought I might as well clarify a bit.