Chapter 854 Pious Prayer (5500)

Dao Harmonization experts can hear the voices of all realms and see the events of all realms. As long as their names are recited, even at the edge of the multiverse, they can sense and hear them.

This is not a false legend, but an indisputable fact.

However, the number of living beings in the multiverse is infinite, and the number of lives that recite their names is naturally infinite as well.

An infinite number of prayers swarming in, even Dao Harmonization experts would feel unbearable pain, right? But that is also a kind of tempering, a cornerstone of refinement. After all, if even infinite prayers, those illusory voices and wishes, cannot be endured, then how can one break through the infinite barriers with their existence and reach the seed of infinity, the realm known as the Great Flood?

But most Dao Harmonization experts did not think of this. They used various methods, such as Origin Marks, Divine Grids, Heavenly Incarnations, Grand Dao Wheels, etc., to create a perpetual motion response machine, mechanically responding to the infinite prayers.

This is the norm.

The Hongshi Emperor never refused any prayer, even if it was painful, even if it was chaotic, even if he could only hear it but could not respond, which made him feel even more powerless and annoyed... But he still gritted his teeth and persevered, always listening to these infinite prayers.

Until now.

At this moment, in the Hongshi Upper Realm, in the void of the surrounding multiverse, a dark and silent place.

There is a vast divine light piercing through the air, carrying a deep gray-brown color, solemn and majestic, with a strong sense of killing intent running through many surrounding worlds, arriving in a grand and upright manner.

At the other end of it, another halo emerges, dazzling and brilliant, colored crimson gold, like a great sun illuminating the heavens.

[Hongshi, you old codger!]

A sonorous voice, the cry of a phoenix, rang out. The Dao Harmonization expert named 'Taiyi Heavenly Phoenix' spoke with anger and doubt, blocking the path of the Hongshi Emperor: [What are you trying to do, start a war between the two realms?]

After that, on the other side, another warm and crystalline star-blue halo appeared, like a full moon, radiating a gentle and peaceful Dao intent.

[Let me say a fair word, Daoist Brother Hongshi, you seem to be in a bit of a temper today. Why not go home and rest? Why be so angry?]

A human voice with a hint of admonition resounded through the void. The Dao Harmonization expert named 'Tai Zhen Dao Master Xuan Renzi' jumped out, standing between the two, seemingly intending to mediate: [It is not advisable to start a war rashly now. The changes in the multiverse void are extremely great. Although we have had disputes in the past, compared to the unknown future, we should join hands now.]

Although he spoke of fairness and admonition, anyone could see that this Xuan Renzi was simply biased towards the Heavenly Phoenix. If Hongshi wanted to take a step forward, he would join forces with the Heavenly Phoenix to fight Hongshi.

In the past countless years, they had fought like this. The three Upper Realms governed many Lower Realms, with conflicts and磨砺 (moli - trials and tribulations) between them. The two joining forces to fight against the overly strong Hongshi had formed a rather stable order.

But this time it was different.

--The children's game is over.

[You are wrong. I am not trying to start a war between two realms.]

Hongshi's indifferent voice rang out, louder than thunder, but more muffled than rumbling thunder: [I am going to start a war between three realms and suppress you all.]

Boom!

In the deep gray-brown light, a heaven-covering giant hand was raised. Instantly, the surrounding void and spacetime turbulence stirred up a storm. One small world after another tumbled in all directions with this狂风 (kuangfeng - raging wind). With just the starting gesture, boundless divine power turned the area where the three Dao Harmonization experts were fighting into a true void. Even the spacetime turbulence calmed down, turning into a clear place like frozen void.

And in the next instant, a rich and vast spiritual power, so incredible that it was almost infinite, burned all things, and then condensed into a dazzling pagoda in the brilliance, instantly illuminating the land of the three realms!

The Hongshi Suppression Dao Pagoda!

With one move, it was a unique skill that was rare even in the countless past battles. The faces of the Heavenly Phoenix and Xuan Renzi changed instantly, knowing that this old thief Hongshi was not joking at all, but really wanted to suppress them. They all used their own unique skills to meet the attack.

A crimson-gold great sun disc, rotating and floating, its origin was Taiyi Supreme, the source of all things. This disc released endless scorching firepower, as if to burn all things, causing heaven and earth to be reborn in destruction, reborn anew.

A jade Ruyi (a scepter symbolizing power and good fortune) surrounded by endless scriptures and Dao patterns suddenly rose, its meaning being Dao Qian Ren (a thousand layers of Dao), with a beginning and an end. The Ruyi was ancient and solemn, stabilizing the void, like clear water settling, countless dust particles falling, its body naturally becoming clear and pure, clearer and bluer, supremely high.

A disc and a Ruyi, both containing the great Dao神通 (shentong - divine powers) of Dao Harmonization experts, collided fiercely with the Hongdao Pagoda that suppressed all things.

Endless dazzling divine light burst forth, and the endless aftermath, even if transmitted to the distant end of the world, instantly illuminated the entire territory of that universe, causing countless races and civilizations living in it to be astonished, uneasy, and trembling.

[This is our game.]

And Hongshi said in a low voice, with a sigh: [Do not involve living beings again.]

At this moment, he was still listening.

--In the distant spacetime, at the most intense moment of the battle, there were still calls coming.

It was a prayer from a primitive tribe, asking that the blizzard sweeping the north would stop, and that they could be given a glimmer of hope in this cold land—these desperate primitive people, they would rather use their souls as sacrifices in exchange for the mercy of the supreme god, whoever or wherever they may be.

This was an unequal sacrifice, an exchange that could never be achieved, because those souls that were old, withered, and broken by despair, plus the insignificant spirituality of those wild beasts, could not dispel the blizzard, even if they were all burned together, and could not resist even a billionth of the cold wind in the northwest.

But it didn't matter.

Dao Harmonization experts have infinite power. Dao Harmonization experts can create matter without equivalent exchange. Dao Harmonization experts can create universes from nothing—they don't care about these small things.

Although Dao Harmonization experts cannot be said to be truly infinite, they are still powerful beings who can create perpetual motion machines and build primitive time machines. Even while fighting with two other Dao Harmonization experts, Hongshi could still bestow a trace of divine power across endless spacetime.

Instantly, majestic and vast divine light illuminated this tribe, the storm stopped, and the heavy snow melted. Under the guidance of the light, those aging and dying souls were led to Hongshi's kingdom.

The wish was fulfilled.

It should have ended like this.

However, in order not to let these primitive barbarians regard sacrifice as the norm, and to make these people really think that they could use killing people for sacrifice whenever they encountered difficulties in the future, Hongshi also dropped a trace of will—He made a covenant with these tribal people, and a sacred voice descended from the sky, requiring these ignorant and pious people to build a temple for themselves, determine the sacred rituals, and solemnly slaughter cattle and sheep at the beginning of each year, offering the best oil and internal organs to him. Only in this way could the contract be maintained, and their prayers could be heard by Heaven.

Heaven helps those who help themselves. If they are not asked to do anything, they will do nothing, and will only sink into ignorance, no different from animals.

[You are actually distracted?!]

Not only this tribe, Hongshi responded to hundreds of millions of prayers in this instant. Of course, all of this was just a matter of convenience for him, without spending any energy, but the two Dao Harmonization experts, the Heavenly Phoenix and Xuan Renzi, were shocked by this: [You are still responding while fighting us... You are actually personally responding to prayers?!]

But it was clear that Hongshi had no intention of responding to them.

Too weak, too fragile.

Too unsteady.

He was fighting two against one, and even being distracted, he could still gain the advantage.

While the two Dao Harmonization experts on the opposite side were shocked, he responded to this prayer again.

A group of people were in an underground secret room, drinking blood wine together, vowing to revolt, to enter the capital, and overthrow the dog emperor's throne. They were building a covenant in the name of the ethereal Heaven, requiring everyone to keep their word and never betray or abandon each other.

This was an impossible thing. People's hearts are fickle and unstable. They must have suffered pain and their hearts were bleeding in order to rebel against tyranny. But not to mention whether the anger can burn for a long time, even if they really do not betray each other and overthrow the huge dynasty, can they still respect and trust each other after the wish is fulfilled?

But it didn't matter.

Dao Harmonization experts can listen to the voices of all realms, so they can naturally serve as witnesses of all realms. Since they asked Heaven to witness their loyalty, then Hongshi will witness it for them—the contract between people is indeed ethereal, like a fallen leaf in the water, but Hongshi witnesses it, Hongshi gives the power to comply.

For a time, with the blood wine drunk, everyone was shocked to find that a mark appeared on their foreheads. The mark was gray-brown, solemn and steady, like the pinnacle of heaven, profound and mysterious, containing divinely bestowed protection.

God…is doing these things.

The Dao Harmonization expert who surpasses heaven, the powerhouse who surpasses the universe, is doing these things.

[This is our job, our duty.]

Another palm pressed down, smashing the void, and slapped away the Heavenly Phoenix's magic weapon. Hongshi sighed: [Have you never listened?]

[How can you be so lazy!]

He stepped forward, and all realms trembled because of his advance. The Heavenly Phoenix and Xuan Renzi roared to meet him, but they were only barely maintaining.

And as these two Dao Harmonization experts moved forward, those prayers that originally lingered around them could also be heard.

And one voice was especially devout, especially weak, especially soft and timid, like a spider silk swaying in the wind, as if it would break in the next moment.

It did not come from himself, but from the opposite origin.

Hongshi concentrated his mind. He listened to the source of that voice.

With one hand pinching Xuan Renzi's jade Ruyi, and one hand pressing down on the Heavenly Phoenix's Taiyi Wheel, Hongshi listened to the source of all this.

It was an old woman, and she was in a wide and quiet room, bowing to the idol with many, many people. The idol presented the shape of a Heavenly Phoenix, but it was different from the image of the Taiyi Heavenly Phoenix. It should be a variant of the Heavenly Phoenix image in the Heavenly Phoenix world, a secret and evil cult.

Everyone recited incantations, repeating them devoutly. Everyone had many thoughts in their minds, some were craving wealth, some were craving longevity, some were hoping for power, and some were praying for hope.

However, all the thoughts of the lone, widowed old woman were very simple, a single thought that could run through her entire life in an instant.

Her husband was a Dao soldier of the Heavenly Phoenix Great World, and died in a conquest of a foreign world. Although there was compensation, not much was left after layers of exploitation, and raising a pair of children consumed everything. The old woman also needed to sell her jewelry and dowry to barely maintain it.

Her son was considered intelligent and talented, and was admitted to the Central Cultivation Academy. The old woman was originally proud of him, thinking that the hard days were over, but who knew that half a year later, she heard the news that her son had committed suicide. It turned out that her son's bloodline was impure, and he was looked down upon by those pure-blooded divine birds in the academy, and was routinely bullied and suppressed. They even framed him for a lot of misfortunes, causing the school to order him to drop out--the boy couldn't bear this despair, and also felt ashamed to face his mother, who had given everything to send him to the academy, so he could only choose to jump off a cliff, and it was difficult to piece together his original form.

The daughter originally said that she wanted to avenge her brother, and was determined to marry into a wealthy family. The old woman, who was trying to hold on, couldn't dissuade her. As a result, after she really married in, she learned that concubines were not human at all. She didn't know what kind of torture she had suffered, and when the body was sent back, it could only be said to be unbearable to see. The old woman, who had been trying to hold on, was completely desperate, and had been looking for death for a long time. She gradually improved after believing in the Divine Phoenix Upper God.

The Divine Phoenix Upper God was certainly not a serious orthodox religion, but just a tool for a few disciples under the Heavenly Phoenix Orthodox Church's local temple to collect money and collect the power of faith. What they wanted was naturally property. The little family property that the old woman had left was naturally all invested in it, but even so, she was often scolded and insulted because she couldn't give more money.

But the old woman didn't care. Those insults didn't matter. As long as she could stay in this sect.

Hongshi could hear this slight prayer. He could see the despair and confusion of this old man who had already lost heart when he swept the tomb every year, the pain of having no hope at all, but not being willing to die.

He could see that, as the strongest person above Heaven, who could overlook all living beings, he could see that when the old man could not go out in the rainy season, and endured the pain of rheumatism, he gently stroked the family's photo, stared at the smiling faces on it, and muttered to himself in a low voice, just like every garrulous old woman.

"The offerings for this month have not been fully given, old man, what should I do... The 上师 (shangshi - guru) said that I can have an extension, but if I can't give them all again this year, I won't be allowed to stay in the cult to cultivate blessings."

"I thought about it, and decided to sell the house at home. Without you, it's empty and uncomfortable to stay in. The 上师 (shangshi - guru) said that the more offerings, the more blessings, and you can accumulate merit."

"As long as enough merit is accumulated, we can still be a family together in the next life... As long as we pray devoutly, the缘分 (yuanfen - fate) will always come, and the wish will definitely be fulfilled."

"As long as we pray sincerely, Heaven will eventually hear."

Outside the world, endless halos of the Great Dao illuminated all directions. Even in the Heavenly Phoenix Upper Realm, the night turned into day, and violent storms swept across the edge of the world. Even if the war between the three Dao Harmonization experts only passed through endless void turbulence, it still had the power to disrupt the structure of the world.

But the old woman didn't care about the devastation that was almost like the collapse of the sky and the earth, ignoring the divine light that illuminated endless spacetime, even though the other followers around were shocked and roared because of it, and even though the 上师 (shangshi - guru) was trembling and didn't dare to move at all.

She was still just quietly and devoutly praying.

——As long as you pray sincerely, Heaven will eventually hear——

——Can Heaven hear?

Raising his head, Hongshi stared at the Taiyi Heavenly Phoenix in front of him.

He said: [Can you hear?]

There was a澎湃 (pengbai - surging) river washing the void, that was the sound of endless rushing, the gray-brown spiritual light shining with a dim halo, as if mud mixed with tears washed over the earth, outlining a boundless river between Heaven and all things.

Facing enemies who did not understand his meaning, holding a turbid yet pure spiritual light, the man whose heart was beating furiously questioned: [Can't you hear?!]

Of course. Of course they can't hear.

Dao Harmonization experts have infinite power. Dao Harmonization experts can create matter without equivalent exchange. Dao Harmonization experts can create universes from nothing—they don't care about these small things.

Dao Harmonization experts are the same, yet they are different.

He had already understood, but he was always unwilling to understand.

[You madman, what are you going to do?!]

Perceiving that Hongshi's power was starting to climb steadily, as if all the divine power that he had accumulated and concealed in the past was released in an instant, the Heavenly Phoenix and Xuan Renzi, who had thought that Hongshi was only slightly better, were shocked.

What kind of power was that? Even Dao Harmonization experts could hardly measure it.

They could only see that the many worlds in the multiverse void began to shake, and began to swim like sand in the water, rolling endlessly with the torrent-like waves—this incredible伟力 (weili - great power) made their hearts begin to beat uneasily, and the source of all this came from the man who finally showed an angry expression.

[I was wrong.]

He stepped forward: [I should have come to save you long ago.]

The boiling spiritual light was like a waterfall, flowing straight down the heads and faces of the Heavenly Phoenix and Xuan Renzi, covering their bodies, and as the Emperor stepped down, time and朝夕 (zhaoxi - morning and evening) seemed to freeze. The astonished expressions of the two Dao Harmonization experts solidified in place, because a magnificent pagoda, reaching up to the Ninth Heaven and down to the Ninth Netherworld, had unknowingly enveloped their heads.

And pressed down.

The sky darkened.

The Heavenly Phoenix Great World and the Xuan Renzi Upper World, the suns of the two worlds, had fallen.

Although it was still dusk, and the sun had not completely set, their brilliance had indeed fallen. Another solemn and dim dark sun floated on the other end of the sky.

Naturally, the original sun would struggle, and this would continue for quite a long time, but their fall was undoubtedly certain. After countless years of conquest and entanglement, the three suns could already replace each other, but the other two suns were completely unaware, and thought that they had a chance of winning.

——Can Heaven hear?

While suppressing them, Hongshi was still listening, still staring. This was his shortcoming. As long as he heard and saw it, he couldn't let it go.

He looked at the quiet room of prayer, at the old woman.

Then, he also paused in astonishment for a moment, giving the suppressed Heavenly Phoenix and Xuan Renzi a chance to counterattack and lift the Suppressing Dao Pagoda by an inch.

[That is...]

The Hongshi Emperor shook his head in disbelief. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, and confirmed again, but knew that all of this was real.

That's why it felt unbelievable.

There was a hazy, blue-purple mist, surrounding the old woman, vaguely condensing into a shadow that resembled a dragon and a snake, yet seemed to be nothing.

That was the shadow of the Zhuzhou (Torch Dragon).

"I heard your prayer."

There was such a voice, coming across endless and distant space.

That was the voice of a disciple of Chaos, who didn't care whether it was a prayer to himself, but listened to everything and accepted everything: "Maybe it can't be 100% achieved, but I can guide you to a path of miracles."

He said sincerely: "As long as you are willing to believe, willing to work hard, nothing is impossible—do not cry, nor pray, what you want will surely be achieved by your hands in reality."

"Do not worry, do not fear, for I am always with you."

The power of firm belief smoothed the painful heart, but he knew that all of this was not something that could be accomplished with just a few words. The source of all this suffering was the defects of the entire world. This world needed innovation, needed a raging flame to ignite, so that it could correct the twisted branches and bear the fruit of joy.

Thus.

In that devout prayer that resounded once again.

Seemingly aware of something, under the sky, the shadow of the Zhuzhou raised its head and looked above the sky.

And similarly, above the sky, the eyes like the great sun also overlooked the human world and gazed below the sky.