The Paradise Lost and the Third Stele

The Golden Lion King had been battered into the underworld. From afar, the small abode of Lord Tongtian rang with continuous lion roars, blinding golden light, and skies filled with the light of annihilation and gaping deathly fissures. A fierce battle raged there.

No one knew how much time passed. Then, from the dark underworld, ancient and mysterious sounds surged forth like a tidal wave—angelic hymns, Buddhist chants, demonic prayers, sacrificial liturgies. At the same time, a bloody, baleful aura exploded outward.

At Tongtian's cottage, the wild battle descended into chaos. Eventually, the blood aura receded. The Golden Lion King revealed its true body. Golden divine light pierced the heavens. Its entire form was drenched in blood, its mane tattered and broken. It let out a furious roar, then transformed into a streak of golden light and fled the underworld.

Nearby, some underworld demons and monsters watched. None were surprised by the outcome. Although it was Tongtian's disciple's disciple who guarded the cottage, the inheritors of his lineage were never weak—Tongtian's origins were too vast. But the chief reason was this: the Golden Lion King was far from fully grown. Had it matured, even Lord Tongtian would have taken notice, for the lion king was a heaven-defying beast destined to stand at the very pinnacle of the myriad races.

Of course, there was another reason. Recently, a small guest had come to the cottage and refused to leave—a snow-white little beast whose origins rivaled the Golden Lion King's. If a fight broke out, this little beast's combat power would be extraordinary.

Murmurings arose among the demons in the dark underworld.

“Why doesn’t someone kill the Golden Lion King while the chance is there? If it grows unopposed, it will trample everyone here.”

“Who would dare? I daresay a War Clan powerhouse is watching over it nearby. You can defeat it, but if you try to kill it, your entire clan will be exterminated.”

“The War Clan… that ancient race rivaling the gods, vanished for endless ages?”

“Yes. Moreover, the Buddha will surely intervene. He will never allow anyone to slay this heaven-defying lion king.”

“The War Clan… the Buddha…” Everyone drew in cold breaths. To provoke either was to court annihilation.

The underworld slowly returned to stillness, except for a dissatisfied “Ya-ya” from the snow-white little beast. Those demons in the know warned their friends and relatives never to touch that little creature, or the consequences would be dire. Three years ago, the shared grief of Heavenly Emperor City—the spectacle of a half–Ancestral God—had already spread into the underworld.

The Golden Lion King burst out of the underworld, blood streaming from its body, its golden mane mangled. The moment it appeared on the Demon Plain, it fled toward the distance without once looking back at Xiao Chen.

On the Demon Plain, the force of reincarnation slowly dissipated. The boundless aura of death faded, and heaven and earth cleared. Beneath lay the vast, desolate earth, piled high with white bones—a scene of utter bleakness.

Xiao Chen stood in the void, watching the Golden Lion King vanish into the distance. When he saw the three skeletons again, his heart filled with immense warmth. Scenes from Dragon Island flashed before his eyes: the three comical, cunning skeletons playing dead and ambushing enemies. They had once fought side by side, fought their way off Dragon Island, and crossed into the Eternal Continent. Though they had parted in Heavenly Emperor City three years ago, the bond forged in those days would never fade—a feeling beyond words.

The three skeletons walked over through the void, their jaws still clacking as before. At the same time, a fluctuation of divine consciousness—indistinguishable from real speech—reached Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen was stunned. The three skeletons could now freely travel between the underworld and the Eternal Continent. They claimed it was because they had grasped the essence of life, not, as Xiao Chen had guessed, because they were about to become Death Gods.

“I think, therefore I am…”

Hearing them go on so mystically—philosophy, art, the nature of life—Xiao Chen felt utterly speechless. In ordinary eyes, these three ghostly beings had no dark tendency at all. They sounded more like metaphysical philosophers than anything else.

The force of reincarnation fluctuated. A pitch-black spatial passage opened above the Demon Plain. The snow-white little beast Keke poked its head out, its body glowing with numinous light, its black gemstone eyes sparkling with intelligence.

“Ya-ya ya-ya…”

It greeted the three skeletons, then waved its little paw at Xiao Chen, signaling him to come over.

Xiao Chen rushed forward, suppressing his excitement. He affectionately stroked its furry head. Though it was formed entirely of soul force, the touch felt exactly like real fur.

“You said you’d come back soon. Why are you still dawdling in the underworld?”

“Ya-ya ya-ya…” The little beast grumbled discontentedly.

Xiao Chen laughed. The little thing was still the same. He took out all the purple diamond yin wood ginseng fruits the devil had given him and said, “Then come back right now?”

Keke’s big eyes went round. It threw itself onto the pile of gleaming purple fruits with an expression of pure bliss. But after a moment, it reluctantly climbed off and whispered softly to Xiao Chen, its mental voice telling him to keep the fruits for now—they would be needed when it remade its physical body soon.

“You little rascal, are you really going to stay in the underworld for good?”

Keke glanced around slyly, then flew to Xiao Chen’s ear. Its mental voice was soft and childish:

“Ya-ya, I’ll tell you something. I found a huge secret down here. There’s a sealed ‘Paradise Lost’ world—a holy land.”

Xiao Chen stared at the little beast in surprise. Seeing its utterly serious expression, he couldn’t help asking, “There’s a world like that in the underworld?”

Keke nodded. “In Tongtian’s little cottage, there’s a passage to an unknown space. I heard it from the people guarding his place. Naughty Tongtian wants that Paradise Lost world—he’s been waiting for ages. I… I want it too.”

Xiao Chen was dumbfounded. The little thing had leveled up. In the past it only hunted for spiritual herbs; now it wanted an entire world, and planned to snatch it right from under Lord Tongtian’s nose. Its boldness was astonishing.

Xiao Chen tapped its nose. “You’d better come back. Lord Tongtian is far beyond anything you can scheme against.”

Keke pushed his hand away unhappily, wrinkled its nose, and grumbled, “They invited me. Naughty Tongtian said only I can take the Paradise Lost world. If I’m taking it, why should I give it to him? No way!”

Hearing this, Xiao Chen’s worry eased. Even if the little thing threw a tantrum, Tongtian probably wouldn’t harm it—they were the ones who needed its help.

“Naughty Tongtian is very cunning. Once I get Paradise Lost, I’ll hide it carefully…” Keke’s eyes sparkled with little stars, its long lashes fluttering.

“Oh, right…” Keke suddenly remembered something important, like the scatterbrain it was, and whispered to Xiao Chen, “Naughty Tongtian once mumbled that the third Heavenly Stele is about to appear. He said it would be either on the Demon Plain or in the underworld. He didn’t want anyone to hear, but I found a way to eavesdrop.” It puffed out its little chest proudly.

“The third Heavenly Stele…” Xiao Chen’s heart trembled.

“I’m going back to the underworld now. I’m going to get Paradise Lost and not give it to naughty Tongtian. Yellow Fur was wounded and probably won’t show up for a while.”

The passage connecting the underworld and the Eternal Continent vanished. Keke and the three skeletons returned to the underworld.

The three skeletons, too, had important matters to attend to. Though they did not elaborate, Xiao Chen had a feeling the affair was immense.

In the distance, a dragon cry shook the nine heavens. Yizhen rode the Jade Dragon King like a ribbon of green light streaking across the sky.

“Xiao Chen, are you all right? I sensed a surge of death energy here and rushed over, but I ended up entering the underworld. I barely managed to dash back before the Reincarnation Gate closed.”

“I’m fine.” Xiao Chen briefly explained what had happened.

On the distant horizon, killing intent soared to the heavens. Xiao Chen and Yizhen exchanged a glance, then charged forward.

From afar, they saw a golden figure hurtling back and forth through the sky. The twelve strongest young experts of the Great Shang Empire and the Roman Empire were joining forces to slay the Golden Lion King.

Blood poured from the lion king. Already grievously wounded, it was no match for such a group. The moment they engaged, it was on the verge of death.

Just then, energy fluctuations came from a distant part of the sky. Several figures shot over at incredible speed. The young masters of Great Shang and the Roman Empire immediately changed expression—these newcomers were clearly Buddhist practitioners from the Western Lands.

The Golden Lion King’s identity was complex; it had countless ties to Buddhism. The arrival of these monks averted its mortal peril.

Without a word, the monks joined the battle.

The Golden Lion King broke free and flew away without pausing. Its injuries were too severe; it could no longer fight.

A beam of light shot over from the distance. Yizhen’s face changed. “We need to go. Quickly!”