Ch 73: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

When Jiang Lin heard the word “Taotie,” he was momentarily stunned, then suddenly realized:

“So, you’re a Taotie! No wonder your bloodline is so powerful, yet you haven’t reached adulthood after all this time!”

He looked at Zong Yu disapprovingly, “They say Taotie can devour anything, but you’re so picky with your food. No wonder when I met you, you were over two thousand years old and still a child.”

Zong Yu: “…”

He wanted to explain himself but found that he really couldn’t—based on the inherited memories in his mind, it seemed he truly was the only picky-eating Taotie.

Meanwhile, Jiang Lin’s mind was racing with various thoughts, and he curiously asked, “Of course, I’ve heard of the Taotie, but you know how myths are—they come in countless versions. So, are you the Taotie that is one of the Nine Sons of the Dragon, or the son of the Jin Yun clan, or the man-eating beast from the Classic of Mountains and Seas… Hmm, the last one is definitely not it.”

Zong Yu looked at him strangely, “Where on earth did you hear all these bizarre legends?”

Only then did Jiang Lin realize that Zong Yu wasn’t from the same world as him.

He cleared his throat, “The people in my homeland really enjoy making up… stories, yes, stories.”

Huaiyin looked at him with admiration, “The people from Sir’s homeland must be incredibly talented and brave to casually make up tales about such ancient divine beasts. As small demons like us, we wouldn’t even dare to utter their names lightly.”

Ever since she learned that Zong Yu was a Taotie, Huaiyin seemed to be in a daze, her thoughts still swirling in confusion.

When she first signed the soul contract with Jiang Lin, becoming a servant spirit plant, it was purely out of desperation to save her life. It would be impossible to say that she didn’t have any resentment in her heart.

However, after following Jiang Lin through several worlds and witnessing his many divine and extraordinary feats, she had long since been completely convinced of his power.

Now, upon learning that the little Lord Zong who had always been with Sir was actually the legendary divine beast Taotie, she was not only convinced but also somewhat grateful that Jiang Lin had taken her in.

To work alongside Lord Taotie—what an honor!

Listening to Huaiyin’s words, Jiang Lin thought: It’s not that my homeland has many talented and brave people; it’s just that in my world, these divine beasts don’t exist at all, so naturally, no one would be afraid of them.

Zong Yu gave Jiang Lin a peculiar look, then shook his head and said, “None of those.”

With a touch of pride in his voice, he explained, “We Taotie are born from the Chaos, a Chaos-born god-demon. There can only ever be one Taotie in existence at any given time, and if nothing unexpected happens, it will live as long as heaven and earth.”

Jiang Lin casually asked, “What if something unexpected happens?”

Zong Yu: “…”

Reluctantly, he answered, “If it dies, one day, a new Taotie will be born.”

These details came from the inherited memories he had acquired.

Of course, because he didn’t like eating and grew exceptionally slowly, this inherited memory required a certain level of strength to access, which is why it had taken him so many years to obtain it.

Jiang Lin found it fascinating and asked, “Then why did you appear in the world of Journey to the West… on White Tiger Ridge? This place and that one are not the same, have you noticed?”

Here, there is no Journey to the West, no team on a pilgrimage, and certainly no Monkey King. Moreover, from Immortal Lord Liu’s memories, Jiang Lin discovered that this world is dominated by the Five Heavenly Courts, and there’s no mention of a Western Buddhist group.

Zong Yu then replied, “I was originally the Taotie of that world. In this world, most of the Chaos-born gods and demons have long since perished, including the Taotie, which has also fallen and not yet revived.”

Of course, now that Zong Yu had arrived, no new Taotie would appear in this world as long as he remained here.

Under normal circumstances, if a Chaos-born god or demon were to be resurrected, the Heavenly Emperor would certainly be aware of it in advance. Zong Yu’s sudden arrival caught them off guard.

Lord Tianquan moved quickly; they had only exchanged a few words before he returned from reporting the situation.

He stood respectfully behind a deity, completely devoid of the arrogance he had shown earlier with Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin looked at the deity in front of Lord Tianquan. The deity wore a dark yellow robe, had long hair flowing freely, an ordinary face, and an aura of calm and gravity. He held a long rope in the same color as his robe.

Even with Immortal Lord Liu’s solitary nature, there was no way he wouldn’t recognize this figure—this was the Great God Houtu, who assisted the Central Heavenly Emperor in governing heaven and earth.

In short, he was the second-in-command of the Central Heavenly Court.

Lord Tianquan evidently hadn’t expected that the Great God Houtu would come in person.

He had been pondering many things on his way back, realizing that Zong Yu’s identity was of utmost importance. However, being a god born after the Chaos, he didn’t fully grasp how significant another Chaos-born god-demon would consider Zong Yu.

—Of course, seeing the Great God Houtu confirmed it for him.

At this point, he had no intention of causing further trouble and deeply regretted his earlier arrogance.

Houtu walked up to Zong Yu and smiled in surprise, “I thought it was an old friend. But it’s you, Taotie.”

Although there was no hint of aggression in his aura, as he approached, both Zong Yu and Jiang Lin nearly instinctively activated their spiritual and divine powers in defense.

Zong Yu frowned and said, “I don’t know you.”

Houtu smiled warmly, “Of course, you wouldn’t know me. The Taotie who knew me has already perished. I’m just curious—how is it that you’ve grown so much, yet only revealed yourself now?”

After saying this, he turned to Jiang Lin and asked, “And you, Immortal Lord Liu of the Central Heavenly Court, why do you carry the aura of the Red Emperor?”

The Red Emperor was the Southern Heavenly Emperor, one of the Five Heavenly Emperors.

This time, Jiang Lin was genuinely stunned.

In Immortal Lord Liu’s memories, there was no information about anything outside the Central Heavenly Court.

After all, the world was vast, with the Five Heavenly Courts ruling their respective regions, each of which could be considered a separate world. They rarely interacted with one another.

His confusion was both natural and genuine: “What is the Great God Houtu talking about? I don’t understand.”

Houtu gazed at him, and in his brown eyes, there were fleeting reflections of suns, moons, stars, mountains, and lakes. After a brief moment, he withdrew his gaze and said, “You’re not lying, but I’m certain I’m not mistaken.”

Jiang Lin remained silent, his mind racing with thoughts.

It was undeniable that Immortal Lord Liu had indeed transformed from a willow tree by the banks of the Nine Heavens’ Milky Way—there was no mistake about that. Moreover, he was a reclusive deity who had barely ventured to the mortal realm, let alone to the distant Southern Heavenly Court.

How could he possibly have any connection with the Southern Heavenly Emperor?

But if it wasn’t Immortal Lord Liu… could it be related to himself?

Wait… himself!

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Jiang Lin’s mind: Of course, the Southern Heavenly Emperor is also known as the Red Emperor, or Yan Emperor.

In his previous world, he was the son of the ancient god Yan Emperor.

Could there be some connection here?

But this world is different from that one, and this Emperor Yan is not the same as the one from his previous life.

How could there be a connection?

Yet, if there is no connection, how could he explain the presence of the Southern Heavenly Emperor’s aura on himself?

A wave of thoughts surged in Jiang Lin’s mind, and he considered that after resolving the current situation, he might need to visit the Southern Heavenly Court to investigate further.

The Great God Houtu, however, only mentioned this briefly, as his main focus was far more on Zong Yu than on Jiang Lin.

He said to Zong Yu, “His Majesty, the Heavenly Emperor, wishes to see you.”

Seeing Zong Yu frown, he added, “Rest assured, His Majesty simply wants to meet an old friend—there’s no malice intended.”

He sighed, “Nowadays, there are fewer and fewer old friends from the Chaos.”

Zong Yu pointed at Jiang Lin and said, “I want to go with him.”

Houtu glanced at Jiang Lin.

The Heavenly Emperor hadn’t specifically requested to see Immortal Lord Liu. To the lofty Heavenly Emperor, Immortal Lord Liu was just an ordinary deity, not worth a special visit.

However, seeing Zong Yu’s insistence, Houtu nodded, “Alright, let’s go together.”

He personally led the two of them to the palace where the Heavenly Emperor resided, clearly indicating the importance he placed on the two of them—though, more accurately, it was on Zong Yu.

Tianquan’s face had already turned pale with fear.

But neither Jiang Lin nor Zong Yu paid him any attention.

Jiang Lin finally met the high and mighty Heavenly Emperor from the narrative.

Immortal Lord Liu had actually seen him before, at a banquet in the Heavenly Court. The Heavenly Emperor, dressed in his regal attire, had sat at the head of the table, exuding a dignified and solemn presence.

He was nothing like the man standing before them now, dressed in simple robes with a warm, smiling face.

“So, you’re a Taotie.” The Heavenly Emperor laughed heartily, walking over to scrutinize Zong Yu from head to toe. Not entirely satisfied, he remarked, “Still not fully grown? Judging by your bone age, you’re not exactly young. Are you not eating enough?”

Jiang Lin hadn’t been given so much as a glance throughout the entire exchange.

He didn’t mind the cold shoulder, though. Standing off to the side, he watched in amazement as the Heavenly Emperor asked Zong Yu a series of questions, much like a concerned elder. The conversation had progressed to the point where the Heavenly Emperor was preparing to open his treasure vault to offer Zong Yu some delicacies.

He seemed both generous and sincere in his affection for Zong Yu—not at all like the cold and unfeeling Heavenly Emperor from the original story, who casually married off his daughter to a cowherd.

Jiang Lin found this perplexing.

But soon, he began to piece together a possible reason.

Zong Yu wasn’t accustomed to such warmth and, though he wasn’t truly naive, only mentioned that he had been in a long sleep before waking up. He frequently glanced at Jiang Lin, which eventually caught the Heavenly Emperor’s attention.

“And you are?” The Heavenly Emperor asked, frowning.

Jiang Lin introduced himself.

The Heavenly Emperor waved dismissively. “Oh, it’s Immortal Lord Liu. Do you have any business here? If not, you may leave.”

His indifference was palpable.

The Heavenly Emperor’s warmth was genuine, but so was his coldness.

His warmth was directed at Zong Yu because he, like the Heavenly Emperor, was a Chaos-born god-demon.

His coldness was directed at Jiang Lin because, to him, Immortal Lord Liu was just a weeping willow by the Milky Way.

In fact, Immortal Lord Liu’s status and power weren’t insignificant in the Central Heavenly Court, yet they still failed to catch the eye of this Heavenly Emperor.

At that moment, Jiang Lin finally understood why this Heavenly Emperor would so casually marry off his daughter to a cowherd.

—He simply didn’t care.

He had many consorts and even more children.

A daughter who wasn’t the most beautiful or powerful, and whose only skill was weaving, was of no importance to him.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have forgotten about her for hundreds of years.

He likely happened to come across the weaver girl and the cowherd by chance and, on a whim, decided to pair them together.

Jiang Lin lowered his eyes and thought: Clearly, in the eyes of this noble and powerful Heavenly Emperor, there’s no real difference between the weaver girl and the cowherd.

To the Heavenly Emperor, it was just a matter of a few words.

But those few words ruined the weaver girl’s long life.

Jiang Lin had no intention of criticizing the Heavenly Emperor’s character—after all, he was the Heavenly Emperor, the most powerful being in the heavens and on earth, with only the other four Heavenly Emperors as his equals.

What he wanted, no one could truly oppose.

Jiang Lin had no mission of revenge, nor did he believe he could get involved in such complicated affairs.

As for the weaver girl, the biggest victim?

She likely just lamented her own misfortune, perhaps even blamed herself for not enjoying life, or wondered why the cowherd was tending sheep at that moment.

Blaming the true culprit?

She certainly wouldn’t dare.