IS Chapter 71

After the Death Beast died, it dropped some undigested “longevity,” which spontaneously returned to its original owners. Although it was only a small portion, it was enough to sustain the disciples until they left the Ghost Realm.

The earth trembled again, and the same change occurred again, with some things converging towards the center of the formation.

The missing disciples of the Pill Cauldron Sect had been rescued, but as things stood, Lin Zhu wasn’t ready to turn back.

The two elders stayed behind to guard the disciples, who had become old, weak, sick, and disabled. Lin Zhu took Chan Tui, San Qi, and Chai Cao, and followed Ye Zhuo deeper into the area.

Shen Xinge naturally remained close, but he still hadn’t managed to grab the hem of Ye Zhuo’s robe.

This place contained some profound truths, and experiencing it might benefit the young disciples’ cultivation.

Of course, the main reason was that bringing the disciples meant having people to do chores, such as carrying things.

They caught two more Longevity Beasts along the way. The Longevity Beasts were very large, and they were tied to the end of the line, looking like two white hills moving along.

“Isn’t this a bit too conspicuous?” Lin Zhu asked. “If there are others in the forest, we’ll become targets.”

Ye Zhuo: “It’s fine.”

Shen Xinge: “Fellow Daoist Ye, how much longer do we have to walk?”

Ye Zhuo: “Soon.”

The Death Trees had become sparse, and the red, gold, and white fruits on the trees gradually increased in number. It seemed that no more Fortune, Prosperity, or Longevity Beasts would appear.

And among the entire forest, orange fruits had always been rare.

“We’ve already seen Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity. The next one should be ‘Joy’,” Lin Zhu murmured to himself.

Chai Cao nodded secretly. In the mortal world, Fortune, Prosperity, Longevity, and Joy were the four celestial star officials whom parents would offer incense to during festivals. It seemed that what people sought in life were just these four things.

A vibrant orange color shone through the thick fog. Ye Zhuo stopped, looking at the mountain-like monster before him.

In the mist was a huge, ecstatic, distinct face.

As if noticing their arrival, the face moved, its mouth widened into a grin, its face full of smile lines, as if it was laughing out loud and couldn’t stop.

A constant stream of joy emanated from it, infecting the entire area.

Seeing such a radiant smiling face, Shen Xinge couldn’t help but smile, and he wanted to laugh out loud as well—

Then Lin Zhu covered his mouth.

Ye Zhuo’s gaze moved upward.

The Joy Beast’s body was as tall as a mountain, and its branches blocked out the sky and sun.

Winding orange branches spread out in the sky, densely covering the entire world. Among the branches, there seemed to be countless smiling faces of all shapes and sizes.

“Standing here, one can’t help but think of the joyful moments in life,” Lin Zhu said.

Ye Zhuo: “…Is that so?”

He simply watched quietly as the branches stretched to the horizon. The Joy Beast was so large that it probably covered the entire dense forest and mountain range.

But the heavy night fog obscured their vision. Unless they stood at its feet, they wouldn’t be able to see it at all.

The fact that they initially encountered a Martial Sect disciple who died with a smile could be explained—the Joy Beast’s hunting range was extensive, and he had been killed before he even entered the dense forest.

And it was normal that their group hadn’t been targeted by the Joy Beast along the way.

The Martial Sect disciple had discovered traces of a body-tempering elixir and was filled with joy, making him an easier target for the Joy Beast. On the other hand, Sect Leader Lin and his disciples were here to rescue people. With their fellow disciples in danger, naturally no one would be happy.

Shen Xinge had either been studying talismans or trying to grab his robe along the way, leaving him no time to be happy.

As for himself, he never allowed joy or anger to linger in his heart.

Such a massive monster, there could only be one in the entire forest. The place it occupied was the center of the entire formation.

What was the Joy Beast guarding by standing here?

After Lin Zhu covered his mouth, Shen Xinge understood that it was best not to laugh or be happy in front of the Joy Beast, or else they would be targeted.

This wasn’t difficult to do. He was a cultivator, after all, and had the means to control his emotions. As long as he imagined the scene of his master’s death in his mind, he naturally wouldn’t laugh again.

Shen Xinge said solemnly, “This humble Daoist believes that to deal with the Joy Beast, we must make it overjoy and suffer sorrow.”

Ye Zhuo: “.”

He can infer other things from one instance, Shen Jingzhen really knows how to accept disciples.

Chan Tui: “Then how do we make it even happier? Tell it jokes?”

Chai Cao pondered deeply: “That would be too absurd.”

San Qi: “How about we all laugh heartily in front of the Joy Beast together, so it can absorb our joy? When it’s full, it’ll explode.”

Lin Zhu also had discerning eyes.

Ye Zhuo turned his head and looked at the long line that Chai Cao was leading.

First, there were the four dejected Fortune Beasts, then the four listless Prosperity Beasts, and finally, the two depressed Longevity Beasts.

Picking up things along the way was indeed a good habit.

Ye Zhuo: “Feed them all to it.”

The disciples looked at each other in confusion, then suddenly understood.

Chan Tui and San Qi immediately took a few pills to increase their strength, and together they lifted a Fortune Beast, which was like a small hill, and threw it into the Joy Beast’s laughing mouth.

The Joy Beast shook its branches in delight, chewed a few times, swallowed the Fortune Beast whole, and its smile became three parts more radiant. It raised its head and let out a silent laugh. It couldn’t make a sound, but the entire ground began to tremble.

After all four Fortune Beasts entered the Joy Beast’s belly, the ground began to shake violently with the Joy Beast’s laughter.

Ye Zhuo: “Continue.”

The four large, wealthy Prosperity Beasts, along with the strings of coins and jade stones on their branches, were thrown in, and the Joy Beast accepted them all and swallowed them completely.

The remaining two Longevity Beasts couldn’t be lifted by human strength, but the Longevity Beasts were tall, and when they were led over, they were at a height that the Joy Beast could swallow.

The Joy Beast laughed again, tearing and biting the snow-white Longevity Beasts bit by bit.

The Longevity Beasts’ faces, like old men of longevity, were full of terror, but their struggles were completely ineffective. After a few bites, only half of the Longevity Beast’s face remained, and with another bite, its body was completely devoured.

The vibrant orange color became even more intense. The Joy Beast’s smile was almost manic, and the shaking of the mountains and forests was as violent as the sky collapsing and the earth caving in. Cracks opened up on the ground, and the Death Trees collapsed with a roar.

If a person has Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity, how can they not be joyful?

If they have abundant Fortune, great Prosperity, and eternal Longevity, how can they not be ecstatic?

And in the mortal world, people seek Fortune, seek Prosperity, and seek Longevity, and in the end, it’s all for the sake of the word “Joy.”

The Joy Beast began to eat the last Longevity Beast. When its body also disappeared into the Joy Beast’s mouth, the shaking of the ground suddenly stopped, and there was an immeasurable silence between heaven and earth.

In this silence, a shrill wail suddenly arose.

The Joy Beast’s body struggled and faded to a deathly gray-white. Its manic smile first froze, then gradually melted, turning into a heartbreaking, sobbing face.

Finally, it collapsed with a roar, and its face fell apart. But tear-like liquid constantly flowed from the two eye sockets, as if life was gurgling to be born within them.

The joy of life reached its peak and completely turned into sorrow.

The moment the Joy Beast died with a bang, it was as if all the joys and sorrows of its life spread out like a rainbow, and past events overlapped and unfolded before their eyes.

The three Pill Cauldron Sect disciples sat on the ground like they had been poisoned, crying and laughing. Lin Zhu recited the Cleansing Heart incantation, and Shen Xinge sobbed and reached out to Ye Zhuo for a hug, only to be turned away again.

Ye Zhuo’s eyes seemed to have a moment of absentmindedness.

But after this moment passed, he didn’t think about anything, he just quietly looked at the silent, undulating mountains in the distance.

Then, he looked at the place where the Joy Beast had fallen.

There was a huge, circular stone platform. The stone platform was densely engraved with formation patterns, which had been worn away by time. Some were no longer visible, at least they were left from thousands of years ago.

And in the very center of the stone platform, a flower was slowly opening.

The petals of the Ephemeral Flower were graceful and slender, opening layer by layer. The edges of the petals shimmered with a dreamlike, hazy color, with red, gold, white, and orange streamers reflecting each other, and finally turning into a deathly black, revolving endlessly.

The Fortune, Prosperity, Longevity, and Joy of the human world are actually calamity, debt, death, and sorrow. Is this cycle the so-called “Eight Divisions Reincarnation”?

Ye Zhuo’s gaze turned to the very center of the flower.

There, a faint ray of spiritual light was faintly visible.

The last layer of petals also opened, and Ye Zhuo saw a crystal clear light pearl in the very center, like a dewdrop, which seemed to contain all things.

…It seemed to be exuding some Buddhist insights.

The Eight Divisions Reincarnation Flower was very unique, but it wouldn’t produce a pearl. It was more like someone had sealed this spiritual pearl in the flower, and it would only appear when the flower bloomed.

Within the spiritual pearl, there seemed to be something more precious than this flower.

Ye Zhuo reached out.

Before he even touched the petals, he felt a subtle fluctuation in the void.

East, West, South, North, Above, Below, restrictions quietly fell, sealing this world.

Gently plucking the petals, Ye Zhuo held the spiritual pearl in his hand. For some reason, the pearl seemed to take the initiative to stick to his palm.

The spiritual pearl was cool and lonely, and it seemed to have a great Dao operating within it, even the slight sadness and joy brought about by the death of the Joy Beast dissipated with it.

Footsteps came from the opposite side.

In the fog, Ye Zhuo saw the figure of the newcomer.

“To still have such a fortunate encounter in the Void Realm, Second Palace Master Ye, you are truly blessed,” True Man Tai Huan walked over slowly and said, “But looking at this mountain and river formation, it seems to be the work of my Upper Purity Mountain’s predecessor saints. Palace Master Ye, shouldn’t you return the thing in your hand to its rightful owner?”

Slowly clenching his fingers, the spiritual pearl’s light was completely contained within.

Ye Zhuo was on the stone platform, looking down at Tai Huan, and a trace of a smile finally appeared in his eyes.

“You’re so slow,” he said, “Where’s your senior brother? Bring him here.”