Simultaneous Transmigration: From Japanese Anime to American Comics

Chapter 152: Step Aside—I'll Go!

Chu Yang once again witnessed the terrifying power of a mash-up.

Not in his wildest dreams did he expect two worlds to become connected in such a bizarre way.

Taking a deep breath, Chu Yang asked, "Senior Zixuan, I want to know—does anyone live on the other side of the Ten-Thousand Mountains?"

Zixuan asked in surprise, "How did you know there are living beings beyond the Ten-Thousand Mountains? That continent is called Shenzhou."

Just as he suspected!

Chu Yang continued, "There should be sects like the Shu Mountain Sect over there too…"

Zixuan nodded. "Indeed, there are cultivation sects on that side as well. The largest one actually shares quite a bit of history with your Shu Mountain Sect."

Chu Yang wanted to press further, but Zixuan spoke first. "That's all I know. If you're interested, you can ask Sect Leader Qingwei. He might be able to give you the answers."

"This matter concerns the reputation of the Nuwa Clan. No matter what Linglong did, she's still a Holy Maiden. Her fate is tied to the Nuwa Clan's. Please, keep this to yourself."

Chu Yang nodded.

Zixuan solemnly added, "With your strength, you can move freely within the Ten-Thousand Mountains. Those so-called barbarian tribes pose no threat to you. The only thing you must avoid is the Ancient Demon-Sealing Cave—whatever you do, don't go near it!"

Chu Yang smiled. "Don't worry, Senior. I've always been cautious in everything I do. I'd never take unnecessary risks."

Zixuan went on, "Before you head there, make sure to memorize everything Ming Yuanqing gave you. The barbarian tribes aren't a concern, but the venomous creatures deep in the mountains are no joke. One slip-up and—not just you—even Qingwei could be in trouble."

Chu Yang sensed something odd in her tone. "Senior… are you leaving?"

Zixuan nodded sadly. "You saw how Ming Yuanqing treated me. There's no point in staying here any longer. I need to atone for my mistakes."

Chu Yang cupped his fists in respect. "Congratulations, Senior, on your awakening. May I ask where you plan to go?"

Zixuan fell silent for a moment, her gaze softening. "I'm going to Yuzhou City, just like you suggested. I want to meet Ling'er. I couldn't give Qing'er the love she deserved—I hope I can make it up to Ling'er instead."

"Then I wish you a smooth journey, and may you find peace and fulfillment."

Chu Yang sincerely offered his best wishes. He still believed Zixuan wasn't wrong for pursuing love. Even if the Witch Queen, Qing'er, had sacrificed herself, the real culprits were Bai Yue and the Water Demon Beast.

They were the ones who deserved the blame.

Zixuan never returned to the Nuwa Temple. She left without looking back. Though the Sacred Spirit Pearl had been badly damaged, she still had enough power to return to the Central Plains.

Chu Yang had already checked—Bai Yue wasn't in Nanzhao right now, so he wasn't worried about Zixuan's safety.

After watching her disappear into the distance, Chu Yang entered the Nuwa Temple. The silent Nuwa Matriarch finally spoke.

"Young one, thank you for helping the Nuwa Clan. Both Zixuan and Zhao Ling'er have greatly benefited thanks to you."

Chu Yang bowed respectfully. "You flatter me, Your Grace. It was simply my duty. The Shu Mountain Sect exists for the same purpose as the Nuwa descendants—to protect this land beneath our feet."

"Besides, back then, Your Grace gave your life to protect humanity. You truly gave everything, even your life. Now it's time for us juniors to repay that debt."

As he finished speaking, he felt a gentle gaze fall upon him.

"Then I'll trouble you with what comes next as well."

Chu Yang nodded and sat down in meditation within the Nuwa Temple, quietly cultivating while waiting for Li Xiaoyao's return.

A week passed.

Suddenly, the Nuwa Temple was flooded with light. Li Xiaoyao appeared from within the glow, looking dazed, slowly regaining awareness as Chu Yang called out to him.

"How do you feel?"

"Like a dream…"

"I know it felt like a dream, but the Water Spirit Pearl in your hand is real!"

Startled, Li Xiaoyao instinctively pulled it out for a closer look. "I can't believe it… The me from ten years ago actually gave it to me. I even traded it for a wooden sword."

"I always wondered why I had no memory of it. Suddenly having a wooden sword by my side—now I know why."

Chu Yang clapped him on the shoulder. "The Nuwa Matriarch told you not to try changing the future. But knowing your personality, there's no way you just obeyed."

Li Xiaoyao scratched his head. "I did… something. But since you're still here, it must've been pointless."

"At least you're self-aware. You think the Nuwa Matriarch didn't know? Everything was predestined!"

Li Xiaoyao sighed and said no more. No matter what, he simply wanted Zhao Ling'er to live a happier life.

"Come on, take your Water Spirit Pearl. Let's head back to Shu Mountain. Hopefully, everything went well on Jing Tian's end too."

Chu Yang soared into the sky on his sword, with Li Xiaoyao close behind. The two sped back toward Shu Mountain at full speed.

This journey through time had clearly made Li Xiaoyao stronger than before. No telling what hardships he endured ten years in the past.

Half a day later, they could already see Yuzhou City. Chu Yang didn't want to waste time and took Li Xiaoyao straight to the Demon-Sealing Tower.

Xu Changqing and Jing Tian had actually returned ahead of them and were already waiting alongside several elders.

The Sword Saint at the tower's summit spotted the Water Spirit Pearl in Li Xiaoyao's hand and lit up with excitement. Together with the four pearls Xu Changqing had gathered, all five spirit pearls were now in hand.

The next step was to use the power of the five elements to repair the tower's array.

Li Xiaoyao had barely landed when Xu Changqing snatched the Water Spirit Pearl from his hand and handed it to Sect Leader Qingwei.

"You're all good kids. I wasn't wrong to trust you. Shu Mountain was saved because of you. I thank you on behalf of the sect."

Chu Yang chuckled. "Sect Leader, why not show it with something real? Li Xiaoyao and the others have been running around for ages—through the Divine Realm and even the Ghost Realm."

Qingwei stroked his beard and smiled. "Don't worry, they'll get what they deserve. I don't need a little rascal like you to remind me."

Chu Yang quietly stepped aside, exchanging a glance with Li Xiaoyao, who looked back with grateful eyes.

Soon, Qingwei and four others took their positions at the corners of the array. The five spirit pearls were activated by spiritual power and slowly floated above the formation.

The power of the five elements surged out in brilliant rays, pouring into the Demon-Sealing Tower.

What had moments ago looked like a crumbling ruin now began to stabilize. The shattered walls gradually mended.

But after a while, the restoration slowed to a crawl—like a download stuck at 99%.

Qingwei's expression darkened. "The internal formation of the Demon-Sealing Tower is badly damaged. Someone needs to go inside and repair it. Only then will the five-element power continue working."

"This trip is a near-certain death. Who's willing to go?"

Without hesitation, Chu Yang shouted with righteous determination:

"Step aside—I'll go!"

The Demon-Sealing Tower was a great place—full of talented individuals, pleasant conversations, and most importantly, a feast for his Devouring Demon Gu.

The Demon-Suppressing Sword was another prize. Since Jing Tian didn't want it, better to let him take it instead of leaving it to gather dust.

Though Chu Yang volunteered, Qingwei didn't immediately approve. A flicker of hesitation crossed his face.

Xu Changqing had informed him that Chu Yang might be the reincarnation of the Great Emperor of Fengdu.

Having learned the full story, Qingwei couldn't quite make sense of Chu Yang's true identity.

This once-unknown disciple had risen at lightning speed—only Jing Tian, the reincarnation of the divine general Feipeng, could compare.

Even Li Xiaoyao, gifted as he was, lagged behind.

Short of reincarnating as the Great Emperor of Fengdu, nothing else could explain it.

And that ancient sword of his—so mysterious—few would doubt it was a treasure once belonging to Fengdu himself.

Chu Yang smiled faintly. "Why the hesitation, Sect Leader? Am I not a Shu Mountain disciple? Don't I have the right to enter the tower?"

Cang Gu frowned. "Ayang, your identity is special. If something goes wrong…"

Chu Yang shook his head. "Master, if 'special identities' must be protected, then do the lives of ordinary people not matter? What about the descendants of Nuwa? Are their lives expendable?"

Cang Gu trembled with anger. "Nonsense! You know that's not what I meant!"

Chu Yang sighed. "Forgive me, Master. I know your intentions. But among everyone here, who is more suited for this task than I am?"

The words struck a chord. Most people fell silent.

Only Xu Changqing stepped forward firmly. "I'm the senior disciple. I should be the one to enter the tower!"

Chu Yang replied confidently, "Senior Brother, how's your knowledge of formation arrays? Are you sure you can repair the tower's internal formation?"

Xu Changqing froze. He knew Chu Yang had spent over a decade studying in the Scripture Pavilion due to his inability to cultivate. When it came to formations, he was far outclassed.

"That's why I say—I'm the best choice. Sect Leader, Master, Elders—any objections?"

Chu Yang calmly met each of their gazes, as if life and death were nothing to him.

"…Very well. Then go."

Qingwei stroked his beard, eyes deep with meaning.

"The Sword Saint is guarding the tower's summit. The major demons have all fled to the lower levels. That's the safest point of entry."

Cang Gu walked up to Chu Yang and whispered, "If it becomes impossible, come back the way you went in. We'll find another way. We've already gathered all five spirit pearls—what could be harder than that?"

"Demon souls and demons aren't the same. Your sword can suppress spirits and phantoms, but it may not work on demons. There's another sword in the tower—the Demon-Suppressing Sword. Try to find it. It'll double your chances."

Warmth bloomed in Chu Yang's heart. From beginning to end, only his master Cang Gu had never once changed how he treated him. In his eyes, Chu Yang was still that downtrodden, aimless boy.

Just then, Jing Tian stepped forward hesitantly. Even Tang Xuejian tugging on his sleeve couldn't stop him from approaching.

"Brother Chu… Long Kui knows the tower inside and out. Maybe I should go in with you."

Tang Xuejian stomped her foot angrily. "He's a great hero—you're just a shop hand. In a dangerous place like that, you'd be the first to die!"

Jing Tian scratched his head. "But if the tower fails, it affects the entire world. I didn't understand before, but I do now. This is my responsibility too, even if I'm just an ordinary guy."

Hearing his words, Tang Xuejian had no more reason to be mad. She gritted her teeth. "If you're going, I'm going too! I'm the daughter of the Tang family—I'm not less than a shop boy!"

Jing Tian chuckled sheepishly.

With those two chiming in, Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru couldn't sit still either. They both clamored to go as well.

Xu Changqing was also starting to get restless again.

Chu Yang felt as if his head were about to split from the pain. He quickly cut off the noisy chatter from Li Xiaoyao and the others. "The Demon-Sealing Tower is a special case. Just throwing more people at it won't solve anything. Don't make things worse."

No matter how much they tried to persuade him, Chu Yang was adamant—he was going alone.

What a joke. I'm going in there to grind cultivation. If you all come along, how am I supposed to farm?

Amidst the clamor, Chu Yang flew his sword to the top of the tower.

The Sword Saint didn't bother giving him any reminders like Cang Gu and Qingwei had. He simply waved his hand and opened the barrier.

Chu Yang leapt through the opening and arrived at the very top floor of the Demon-Sealing Tower—the sword mound where the Demon Sword was sealed.

Talisman papers were scattered everywhere, and most of the barrier atop the high platform had already collapsed. Only ruins remained.

Stepping through the wreckage, Chu Yang didn't proceed to the next floor. Instead, he first entered the Soul Palace.

The Devouring Demon Gu on him wasn't nearly enough to cleanse the entire Demon-Sealing Tower.

Inside the Soul Palace.

As always, waiting to meet the Xianxia Chu Yang were the Magic Chu Yang and Pirate Chu Yang—but this time, the latter seemed particularly excited, as if they'd made another major breakthrough.

Pirate Chu Yang took a deep breath and spoke first. "I'll go ahead. Vegapunk recently hit a roadblock in his research on the infinite energy engine, so he switched gears and went back to studying lineage factor technology."

"It was supposed to be a change of pace, but surprisingly, he actually made some new progress. His latest breakthrough now allows for the perfect fusion of traits from living and non-living things, creating an entirely new kind of organic lifeform."

"You know Spandam's rapier Funkfreed, the one that ate the Elephant-Elephant Fruit? This is the upgraded version of that. The new method isn't limited to Devil Fruits—it can extend to any living creature."

Xianxia Chu Yang grinned. "Like the Devouring Demon Gu?"

Pirate Chu Yang nodded. "Exactly. If everything goes smoothly, we'll be able to transfer the Gu's traits into an object and power it with a stable energy source. That way, we won't have to keep duplicating the Devouring Demon Gu over and over."

Magic Chu Yang jumped in, "If it's an object, then magical artifacts are on the table. After thinking it over, the artifact most compatible with the Devouring Demon Gu is…"

All three of them said at the same time, "The Demon-Sealing Tower!"

"Sealing demons, refining demons, and converting their cultivation—all we need to do is pair it with a near-infinite energy system, and it becomes a fully automated demon-refining machine!" Pirate Chu Yang was getting hoarse from excitement and instinctively licked his lips.

"Now this is real tech mixed with brutal grind," Xianxia Chu Yang exclaimed. "Talk about perfect timing. I just so happen to be in the Demon-Sealing Tower, getting ready to repair its formations."

Magic Chu Yang said eagerly, "Take the surveillance robot in there! Make sure to record the formations and structures inside. Once you're out, we'll refine our own version!"

Pirate Chu Yang smacked his lips. "Looks like we're going to end up completely wrecking this tower from top to bottom."