Simultaneous Transmigration: From Japanese Anime to American Comics

Chapter 157: The Death of Bai Yue

No one knew what that blood-red bead was, but it somehow broke the Witch Queen's seal. The stone statue of the Witch Queen in the middle of the lake began to crumble.

"Ayang, my little brother, you must be curious—what was it I tossed into the lake just now?"

A gleam of smugness flickered in Bai Yue's eyes, as if he were proudly showing off his cleverness to Chu Yang.

"That was the Five-Spirit Blood Essence I collected after performing a blood sacrifice on five entire clans in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. Those five tribes were born with the ability to control the power of the Five Spirits."

Bai Yue's tone was completely emotionless, as if he were describing something utterly trivial.

Chu Yang's face darkened. "Did you say people? You sacrificed people from the Black Witch Tribe?"

Bai Yue looked at him with some surprise. "Oh? Ayang, you actually know about the Black Witch Tribe?"

Chu Yang didn't respond. In his eyes, Bai Yue had clearly gone mad. To blood-sacrifice five whole clans—what kind of deranged cruelty was that?

The lake surged wildly, as if some monstrous beast of legends was about to emerge.

"No need to be angry. Those people died for my ideals. Their deaths were meaningful. Besides, I know I'm going to die today, but it doesn't matter. My ideals already have a successor."

Bai Yue's monologue filled Chu Yang with unease.

A successor?

He knew he was going to die—so why return to Nanzhao?

Just to awaken the Water Demon Beast?

There were too many mysteries surrounding Bai Yue's actions; it was impossible to guess his true motives. What's more, he had returned alone—there was still no sign of the Evil Sword Immortal.

Right now, Chu Yang could only focus on dealing with Bai Yue and the Water Demon Beast, no matter what hidden schemes Bai Yue had in play.

Boom!

Dark clouds gathered above. A clap of thunder split the sky. The surface of the sea swelled, and a monstrous creature burst out of the water. It was snake-like but not a snake, with eight heads. The central head bore a human face—grotesque and sinister.

The Water Demon Beast was one of the ancient Five Elemental Demon Beasts from the primordial era, sealed away by Nuwa. It possessed the power to summon floods and regenerate in water. Because it was nearly impossible to kill, the Nuwa clan had no choice but to seal it.

As long as it remained in water, its regenerative ability rivaled even Chu Yang's.

The creature's power was immense, but its intelligence was virtually zero, making it easy to control. Bai Yue had no trouble manipulating it.

Towering waves engulfed the nearby land. Chu Yang had to take to the skies to face Bai Yue.

The appearance of the Water Demon Beast signaled the arrival of a catastrophic flood.

To test the creature's healing speed, Chu Yang activated the Malevolent Shrine. Instantly, a strange divine altar appeared beneath his feet.

"As a disciple of Shu Mountain, a righteous cultivator, you're using such eerie and wicked arts. I bet your sect masters and elders would be shocked."

Bai Yue tried to provoke Chu Yang into making a mistake, but Chu Yang remained unfazed.

"Slash!"

His voice rang out like divine decree. Countless slashes rained down like a torrential storm, smashing the Water Demon Beast back into the lake. The blows were so fierce they carved a vacuum in the water's surface, exposing the creature below.

The Water Demon Beast was a mangled mess of flesh and blood. Under normal circumstances, it should have been long dead—but it remained stubbornly alive.

As the attacks ceased, its injuries rapidly healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Just as he expected!

The Water Demon Beast's regenerative power in water was even more terrifying than Chu Yang had imagined. In mere seconds, it was fully restored and staring him down again.

"Hahaha! No matter how strong you are, you can't destroy the Water Demon Beast. And while you fight, the floods are ravaging Nanzhao!"

As they spoke, Nanzhao was already being swept away by an unprecedented deluge.

Since the Water Demon Beast couldn't be killed by conventional means, Chu Yang turned his attention to Bai Yue.

Curses were ineffective against Bai Yue, so Chu Yang gave up on using the Malevolent Shrine and instead teleported beside him for hand-to-hand combat!

With one punch, the sky seemed to collapse. Bai Yue's protective spiritual barrier shattered instantly, and a domineering force rippled out in all directions.

Bai Yue retaliated with a barrage of elemental spells—wind, rain, lightning, thunder. Rain came with wind, lightning converged into beams and shot toward Chu Yang through the curtain of rain.

The destructive energy slammed into Chu Yang's chest. The world echoed with deep, drumming reverberations, like the tolling of a great bell.

Chu Yang's body crackled from the impact.

With the foundation of his Idle Transfiguration and his unmatched vitality, any injury he suffered was healed in an instant.

Bai Yue stared in disbelief, a chill creeping into his heart. This isn't a man… this is a humanoid Water Demon Beast!

Behind Chu Yang, the celestial phenomenon of sun and moon rising together gradually ascended above his head. Two radiant beams of light descended like heavenly rivers, bathing his figure in luminous brilliance. With every movement, starlight scattered.

A god?!

Bai Yue's expression turned dazed.

Chu Yang thrust his hands forward. The radiance of sun and moon transformed into a grinding disc, erasing everything within its glow. Bai Yue and the Water Demon Beast were both enveloped in its light.

Bai Yue used his magic to resist. The Water Demon Beast braced itself with its body.

But Chu Yang, alone, suppressed them both.

Then—

A sword light descended from the heavens, piercing straight through Bai Yue's body in a flash.

Chu Yang looked up—it was the Sword Saint, arriving just in time.

Bai Yue's gaze turned hazy. His thoughts drifted back to childhood—to the days he spent with his adoptive father, Shi Gonghu. He remembered the smiles on his father's face, the doting look in his eyes.

"Why…"

Before he could finish, a downpour of sword light rained down, engulfing him completely.

Chu Yang breathed a sigh of relief and focused all his strength on killing the Water Demon Beast. But no matter how many times he destroyed it, the monster would instantly regenerate.

He tried dragging it out of the lake to weaken its healing, but the creature could generate floods on its own. It always had access to water—his plan failed immediately.

The Sword Saint joined the battle. His golden sword aura surged like a thousand stampeding horses, trampling the Water Demon Beast again and again.

"This thing can't be killed. We'll have to find another way. If it comes to it, we'll need a descendant of Nuwa to seal it again."

The Sword Saint thought of the Witch Queen, a mix of guilt and sorrow in his eyes.

"Anything but that," Chu Yang said. "We have to kill it. If not, then everything I've done so far would've been meaningless."

Chu Yang believed in permanent solutions. A monster that needed a Nuwa descendant every time it revived—how could he be at peace while it lived?

Just as the stalemate dragged on, a red teleportation array opened in the sky. Chonglou's figure stepped through.

"It's done!"

He tossed the Five Spirit Pearls to Chu Yang and prepared to leave.

"Have him help you destroy that thing!" the Sword Saint shouted anxiously.

Chonglou glanced at Chu Yang, then at the arrogant Water Demon Beast. He nodded. "I can do that."

Like hell you can!

Chu Yang cupped his hands. "This minor matter isn't worth troubling the Demon Lord."

Chonglou raised his brows in surprise, but since Chu Yang declined his help, he didn't insist. His figure vanished into the array.

The moment he got the Five Spirit Pearls, Chu Yang had a bold idea. He asked the Sword Saint to hold the line while he fled to an empty area and entered the Soul Palace.

After so many days, Magic Chu Yang had finally forged the prototype of the Demon-Sealing Tower, and Pirate Chu Yang had embedded the Infinite Flame Core into it. Now, only the Five Spirit Pearl's elemental power was missing.

Xianxia Chu Yang handed it over.

The Demon-Sealing Tower automatically formed a Five-Spirit array, drawing the bead into place.

Moments later—

Xianxia Chu Yang held a teacup-sized tower in his hand and immediately returned to the outside world.

Meanwhile, the Sword Saint had lost count of how many times he'd struck the Water Demon Beast. His expression had gone numb.

Suddenly—

A divine light fell. The Water Demon Beast was absorbed into it and vanished right in front of him.

The storm of sword energy froze midair. A massive question mark hovered in the Sword Saint's mind.

Where the hell did it go?

The Water Demon Beast disappeared, and the floods quickly receded, leaving behind devastation.

In Nanzhao, buildings had been destroyed, and the remnants submerged in mud. Former prosperity had turned into wasteland.

If not for Zhao Ling'er's timely activation of her Nuwa bloodline, unleashing tremendous spiritual power to halt the flood's spread, Nanzhao might have become nothing more than a footnote in history.

Her public display of power reignited belief in the legend of Nuwa's descendants. Standing in the water, the people bowed to her in worship.

Just like they once worshiped the Lunar Sect Cult.

For some reason, Zhao Ling'er felt nothing but sorrow at the sight. This wasn't what she wanted.

Shi Gonghu, along with surrendered soldiers, continued to hunt down the remaining Bai Yue cultists and dismantle their strongholds.

Xu Changqing and the others were busy treating injured refugees.

The Witch King had perished in the chaos, never getting to see his daughter one last time. This left Zhao Ling'er heartbroken.

Thankfully, Zixuan was there to comfort her, easing her pain.

The Sword Saint returned to Nanzhao with news of Bai Yue's execution. While the people cheered, he quietly rode his sword into the distance.

"What a blockhead—totally clueless about romance."

The Drunken Sword Immortal shook his head and sighed.

"You're not much better."

Ming Yuanqing stood behind him, her voice laced with a chilling gloom.

"Heh heh heh…"

Cold sweat beaded on the Drunken Sword Immortal's forehead. There was still a major decision ahead of him—

Stay in the mountains and cultivate, or return to the mortal world?

Only after Ming Yuanqing left did he finally relax.

"A happy kind of headache, eh, Uncle?"

Not far off, Chu Yang strolled over, an amused smile on his face.

"Don't tease me! Can't you see I'm so stressed I can't even drink?"

The Drunken Sword Immortal glared at him. "Even the Sword Saint showed up. And you—you're just getting here now?"

Chu Yang shook his head with a wry smile.

Refining the Water Demon Beast inside the Demon-Sealing Tower had made too much noise, so he had to retreat into the Soul Palace and only came out once it was done.

But the result was far from what he expected.

He gained no cultivation from the process—but instead, obtained a treasure resembling the Water Spirit Pearl.

He temporarily named it the Water Demon Pearl.

Its effects: it helps Chu Yang deduce all water-based spells, reduces spirit energy consumption by half, and amplifies their power.

In areas rich in moisture, it also grants him regenerative abilities similar to the Water Demon Beast.

Chu Yang couldn't understand it. The Devouring Demon Gu was supposed to absorb demonic power—why did combining it with the Demon-Sealing Tower cause such a mutation?

Inside the Soul Palace, his other selves from different worlds were now frantically analyzing the outcome.

Thankfully, the Water Demon Pearl's abilities were impressive. Otherwise, Chu Yang would've suffered a massive loss.

Three days later, the aftermath of the flood had largely been cleared. Life in Nanzhao was returning to normal. The Lunar Sect Cult was gone for good.

The Witch King's death stirred no waves. During his time on the throne, he had barely made his presence felt. So many lives had been lost in the great flood—who would care about a dead Witch King?

Out of respect for Zhao Ling'er, the others held a simple funeral for him. But then came a very real and pressing question—

Who would succeed to the throne of Nanzhao?

Zhao Ling'er was a woman, and by tradition, she wasn't eligible to inherit the throne. However, after the divine manifestation she revealed to the people three days ago, she had earned immense reverence among them.

General Nanman and Ming Yuanqing were both staunchly in favor of Zhao Ling'er ascending the throne.

Li Xiaoyao had no objections either. At most, he'd just bring his aunt over to live with them. With sword-flight, the journey wouldn't take long—it wasn't a big deal.

With everyone, including Shi Gonghu, unified in their support of Zhao Ling'er's succession, it came as a surprise when Zhao Ling'er herself expressed a different view.

"That day, I saw how they worshipped me. The fervor in their eyes honestly terrified me."

"I don't know what sort of ideology the Lunar Sect Cult has instilled in them, but I don't want to build anything atop that foundation."

"If it's just because I'm a descendant of Nuwa, then I don't want to inherit the throne of Nanzhao."

Worry was written all over Zhao Ling'er's face. She was deeply concerned about the future of Nanzhao, because the people here already showed signs of a serious ideological problem.

Shi Gonghu and the others urgently tried to persuade her not to be so willful, but they hadn't expected that the usually gentle and obedient Zhao Ling'er would be so firm in her stance this time.

After a brief moment of silence, Liu Jingyuan suddenly smiled and said, "I think everyone may have misunderstood Miss Ling'er. It's not that she's unwilling to take responsibility—it's that she refuses to use faith as a means of controlling the people."

"Miss Ling'er hopes that the people of Nanzhao can break free from their dependence on faith and instead use their own hands to build their future."

Li Xiaoyao asked, "Is that how you feel, Ling'er?"

Zhao Ling'er nodded firmly.

Chu Yang reminded her, "The people of Nanzhao have long been poisoned by the Lunar Sect Cult. Forcing them to suddenly abandon their current way of life could cause serious issues. It would be better to guide them gradually."

"You can take advantage of the reverence they already have for you and subtly influence them. While this might resemble the Lunar Sect Cult's approach on the surface, the intent is different—and so will be the result."

Zhao Ling'er fell into deep thought.

Liu Jingyuan continued to urge her gently, "Faith itself isn't inherently bad. It just needs to be properly guided. Look at the Daoist masters of Shu Mountain—they have faith in the Dao, strive toward virtue, and dedicate themselves to eradicating evil."

Finally convinced, Zhao Ling'er agreed to take the throne and use the belief in Nuwa to replace the people's faith in the Lunar Sect Cult.

"With the matter of Nanzhao settled, we'll leave the rest to Elder Priestess and General Nanman. Let's return to the mountain together," Chu Yang said.

But after he spoke, everyone except Lin Yueru and Liu Jingyuan remained standing motionless.

Li Xiaoyao scratched his head awkwardly and said, "When I first agreed to join Shu Mountain, it was partly to repay Big Brother Chu for saving my life, and partly because you said that would give Shu Mountain a legitimate reason to intervene in Nanzhao's affairs."

"This might sound a little ungrateful, but now that the crisis here is over, I really don't have a reason to go up the mountain anymore. Of course, I'll never forget what you did for me, Big Brother Chu!"

Before Chu Yang could respond, Lin Yueru burst out, "You ungrateful jerk! We just finished dealing with the Lunar Sect Cult, and now you're turning your back on us?"

Li Xiaoyao turned red in the face, as if he wanted to speak but held back.

Liu Jingyuan gently held Lin Yueru back and said in a low voice, "Cousin, everyone has their own path. Besides, Brother Xiaoyao has family—he can't stay long even if he did go back. Why waste your time arguing?"

With a huff, Lin Yueru shook off Liu Jingyuan's hand, turned her back, and said no more.

Chu Yang looked at the apologetic Li Xiaoyao and smiled. "It's not a big deal. If you don't want to go back, then don't. It won't affect our friendship. Come visit me when you're free—we can spar anytime."

Li Xiaoyao's eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly. "Big Brother Chu, I definitely will!"

In the crowd, Xu Changqing and the Drunken Sword Immortal exchanged a glance.

Without a word, they both stepped forward with sheepish expressions and said in unison, "We're not going back either."