Legend Management Bureau Chapter 87

[ … words ]

“Ha.” Empress Houtu pulled a massive broadsword out of thin air, swinging it up to rest on her shoulder. “The Jade Emperor sent the two strongest fighters of the younger generation. Just how highly does he value this old thief?”

“This junior does not know,” Yang Jian replied. “The Jade Emperor merely said, ‘Entrusted by a benefactor, protect the benefactor’s life.’ There must be no room for error.”

Nezha slowly descended. He was not tall, sporting dreadlocks and wearing a white t-shirt featuring a drawing of a masked man. For some reason, Nezha had a red silk scarf covering his face, and he wore a pair of roller skates on his feet. He gave a token nod to Empress Houtu in greeting, then popped his bubblegum, staring straight at He Suoyi.

“Old Yang, come down here and see if there’s been a mistake.” Nezha watched for a moment before waving impatiently at the sky. “He Suoyi is just a Great Zenith Golden Immortal. Was it really necessary to call the two of us here?”

Hearing this, Yang Jian gracefully landed. He scanned the surroundings and declared, “Regardless of whether he has advanced to a mighty figure, his slaughter of the Myth Management Bureau’s entire staff is real. When immortals kill one another, heavenly law dictates they be cast into the Animal Realm.”

Yang Jian was about to say more, but the Heavenly Eye on his forehead suddenly gleamed with a piercing light. He paused, taken aback.

“Oh? I jumped to conclusions, making a fool of myself in front of everyone. It seems the Myth Management Bureau was not entirely wiped out. A shapeshifting cat demon remains, clinging to her last breath.”

With a flicker of movement, Yang Jian appeared right in front of He Suoyi. Before He Suoyi could even muster his spiritual energy to react, he instinctively stumbled back a step in panic.

But Yang Jian acted as if he didn’t even see him. Dropping to one knee, he gently lifted a young girl from the ground whose neck had been snapped. He examined her carefully and murmured:

Nezha blew a massive bubble with his gum, which promptly popped and plastered all over his face. He picked at it for a good while before peeling it off, remarking, “Probably some reason she couldn’t run, right? Like having something much more important to do right in front of her.”

Yang Jian’s figure blurred again, and he was suddenly standing next to Nezha, cradling the girl in his arms. His hand glowed with golden light as he placed it over her neck.

A crisp crackling sound echoed from the girl’s neck as her broken bones were mended back together.

“Wake up, little cat,” Yang Jian said, gently shaking her.

The girl’s eyes fluttered open, only to jolt in shock at the handsome man leaning over her. “Ah! So handsome!”

Everyone froze. The atmosphere instantly turned exceptionally awkward.

Suddenly realizing she wasn’t dreaming, the girl’s face flushed beet red, and she clamped her mouth shut.

Yang Jian offered a wry smile. “Are you alright? Be careful from now on, you only have five lives left.”

Seeing that she was physically fine, he helped her to her feet.

The girl stood up and hid timidly behind Yang Jian, looking exceptionally adorable in her frightened state. She peeked up, suddenly spotting He Suoyi, and flinched again.

“Ah! Oh no, oh no! Why did you save me right in front of him?! Now the Director knows I’m a Seven-Lives Cat!” she squeaked in a panicked whisper. “I kept it a secret for over a hundred years…!”

She darted her eyes around, wondering if it was a bit too late to slip away now.

Nezha shot her a disdainful glance. “The first thing you worry about after coming back from the dead is being found out? Your thought process is truly unique.”

“Relax.” Yang Jian patted her head like he was petting a kitten. “After today, there won’t be a ‘He Suoyi’ anymore.”

Empress Houtu swayed slightly as she stepped forward. “He Suoyi, you still haven’t answered my question. Where are Little Black and Little White? Where is Phantom? What did you do to them?”

A vicious glint flashed across He Suoyi’s face. He sneered, “What a pity. To think you came here first. If you had gone to find them instead, you might have been able to stop their souls from dissipating.”

“Oh?” Nezha tilted his head curiously. “And what if we had found them first?”

“I placed the Great Agony Soul-Shaking Curse on them. For anyone below the realm of a Great Zenith Golden Immortal, the more magical energy they use, the faster their soul scatters.” He Suoyi erupted into booming laughter. “Although Black and White Impermanence and Zhong Kui are only True Immortals, their combat power is ferocious. They were already fading when I left. By now, they have likely dissipated completely into nothingness.”

“Alright, we’ll talk about the rest later.” Nezha waved a hand, cutting He Suoyi off. He then pressed a finger against his ear and spoke. “Old man Tianzun, did you hear that? It’s the ‘Great Agony Soul-Shaking Curse’. Right, they can’t use magic. Yes, yes, apparently Black and White Impermanence and Zhong Kui have it the worst. What? You’ve already stabilized their souls? Okay, okay, got it. Hanging up now.”

Yang Jian sighed, shooting Nezha a look. “How many times have I told you? If you’re using voice transmission, just use voice transmission. Don’t act like you’re talking on a cell phone. You are a heavenly immortal, after all.”

Nezha rolled his eyes at him. “Immortals need to keep up with the trends too, you know?”

He Suoyi stared at Nezha in utter disbelief, squeezing out two words: “…Lord Tianzun?”

“Yeah, didn’t I mention it? The Heavenly Lord of the Dao and its Virtue, Taishang Laojun, is here too. He brought over a dozen True Immortals with him, all packed to the brim with elixirs. I guess everyone’s been bored out of their minds up in the Heavenly Court for too long. The moment something happens, they all flock over.”

He Suoyi knew the situation was dire. Just these three alone were incredibly difficult to deal with. If he added Daode Tianzun and a dozen True Immortals to the mix, escaping in one piece today would be nearly impossible.

Empress Houtu glared at him coldly. “You should be thankful those guys are fine, otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to suppress my fury. Your messy little curse is useless against anyone at or above the Great Zenith Golden Immortal rank. So, are you ready to surrender?”

“Surrender?”

He Suoyi sneered, a grotesque expression twisting his face. His eyeballs gradually turned pitch-black, and tendrils of dark, sinister energy began to seep through his skin. He slowly opened his mouth, exhaling billowing waves of black mist.

“If I were the type to surrender, I never would have walked this path in the first place.”

Yang Jian stepped forward, manifesting his three-pointed, double-edged lance from the void. “What a tragedy. Despite being a Great Zenith Golden Immortal, you willingly embrace the demonic path.”

Nezha spat his bubblegum onto the floor. Flames erupted from the roller skates on his feet, and a spear blazing with fierce fire materialized in his grip. “So he’s a demon? But why would a demon be able to suppress Ksitigarbha?”

“Um…” the cat demon girl suddenly piped up, her voice timid.

“What is it?” Nezha asked, glancing back.

“Could you please not spit gum on the floor…” she murmured. “It’s really hard to scrub off.”

“Aren’t you annoying… mumbling so quietly… Do you have any idea how critical this situation is?”

Nezha was grumpily about to continue his rant when Yang Jian cut in:

“The young lady is right.”

Yang Jian walked forward in silence, pulled a handkerchief from his robes, and carefully picked up the discarded bubblegum. Turning back to the cat demon, he said, “I apologize for the embarrassment. I will properly discipline him when we return.”

“Ah…” The girl blushed and was about to reply when Yang Jian suddenly shouted:

“Watch out!”

At some unknown point, He Suoyi’s frame had doubled in size. He swung a massive arm toward them. His previously gaunt figure was now extraordinarily robust. The punch plummeted with the howling force of a gale. Naturally, the girl was too slow to dodge, but thankfully, a flash of golden light erupted before her. A tall figure forcefully blocked the devastating strike on her behalf.

“He Suoyi, since you refuse to repent, don’t blame the two of us for what happens next,” Yang Jian declared coldly, gripping He Suoyi’s blackened arm.

“Why are you wasting your breath on him!” Empress Houtu stomped, shattering the floor beneath her. Her heroic figure shot forward like a cannonball, sweeping her broadsword directly toward He Suoyi’s chest.

Bolstered by some unknown magic, the blade cleaved right through the demonic aura He Suoyi had summoned. Left with no choice, he let out a guttural roar, expanding his body even further to forcefully tank the hit. The massive blade slammed into his chest, only managing to cut through his outer skin.

Seeing her attack fail to penetrate, Empress Houtu launched a flying kick straight into the back of the blade. However, He Suoyi’s physique was unbelievably tough. The sheer force of the blow didn’t slice him in half; instead, it sent him flying backward.

“No wonder old man Ksitigarbha couldn’t take you down. You were hiding this trick up your sleeve.”

Empress Houtu thrust out her left hand and clenched it into a fist. Instantly, dozens of razor-sharp stone spikes erupted from the floors and walls in all directions, impaling He Suoyi in the center. Chanting a quick incantation, she hurled her broadsword. The blade radiated a brilliant yellow light, brimming with an overwhelming earth-attribute aura.

Sensing imminent danger, He Suoyi let out a beastly roar, shattering the stone spikes trapping him. He swung his palm to catch the incoming broadsword. But the weapon was no ordinary artifact. Although he managed to grab it, the immense momentum didn’t stop, dragging him over ten meters backward through the air.

He was forced to pour more magic into his grip, grasping the broadsword with both hands just to stop the blade from sinking into his flesh.

“Hmph.” Empress Houtu snorted coldly, beckoning with her hand. The broadsword instantly flew back to her grasp. Still clutching the blade tightly, He Suoyi lost his balance, stumbling several steps forward.

Taking advantage of the opening, a blinding bolt of golden light flashed past, shooting right through his arm. The beam packed a devastating punch, boasting even more destructive power than Houtu’s broadsword. Turning around, He Suoyi saw Yang Jian’s Heavenly Eye glowing with intense golden light before it unleashed another explosive bolt without a second of hesitation.

Having tasted the power of the blast, He Suoyi frantically dodged. He flexed his pierced arm, and miraculously, the gaping wound instantly healed.

“He can actually heal his wounds?” Yang Jian remarked. “I’ve never fought a demon this formidable.”

He Suoyi brought his palms together in prayer, chanting a bizarre incantation that, upon closer listening, sounded eerily like a Buddhist sutra. A moment later, a massive sphere of dark light ignited behind him. The darkness gradually morphed into a colossal humanoid figure.

The gigantic, pitch-black body slowly turned around, its sheer size almost entirely filling the space of the Myth Management Bureau.

Houtu, Yang Jian, and Nezha were left dumbfounded by the sight.

The dark shadow towering behind He Suoyi was none other than Sakyamuni—Tathagata Buddha.

But the Buddha, who should have been radiating resplendent golden light, was entirely formed of swirling black mist, exuding an exceptionally sinister aura.

“When Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva was practicing the profound Prajna Paramita, he illuminated the Five Skandhas and saw that they are all empty, and he crossed beyond all suffering and difficulty,” He Suoyi chanted indifferently. “You fools know nothing of karma; it is impossible for your hearts to be pure.”