Translation Problem

"Cough, cough... a translation problem!"

Viscount Orson's prayer naturally did not miss a single word as it reached Zhu Bajie, the one being sacrificed to.

This divine name was practically comparable in length to the Jade Emperor's.

And Void, Finality—these particularly flamboyant, edgy-sounding divine names. Good thing none of his colleagues in the Heaven Realm had heard them, or he would have been laughed at for several epochs.

It had been fine in front of natives from another world, but now that he had run into an acquaintance, he was so embarrassed his toes could dig out a three-bedroom apartment.

Zhu Bajie hurriedly coughed twice and explained, "This was the earliest Incense Power Divine Statue. Back when this old pig first arrived, I had not yet mastered this world's language and could only leave behind a sacrificial Divine Sense. The worshippers misunderstood its meaning."

Yin Ming: [_?]

Divine Sense was better suited than language as a carrier of information.

But when mortals interpreted information beyond their comprehension, slight deviations would inevitably arise.

Yet this—was outrageously off the mark.

What sort of translation genius could translate Zhu Bajie as: Void Water-Star Spirit Commander, Endtime Eater, Crimson Warden of Law?

They were completely unrelated by eight poles of a bamboo pole. Wait...

They did not seem entirely unrelated either.

"Void Water-Star Spirit Commander, could that be—the Marshal Tianpeng who commanded the Heavenly River's hundred thousand naval troops?"

"Endtime Eater, could that be—the Pure Altar Envoy?"

"Crimson Warden of Law, could that be Zhu Bajie?"

That was it!

Bajie was the Dharma name Guanyin Bodhisattva had given him, while his secular name was Zhu Ganglie.

The accurate designation should have been Zhu Bajie, Zhu Wuneng—not Pig Bajie, with an animal as his surname.

"Then what about this consecration ritual of blood-stained white gauze?"

"By Heaven and Earth's conscience, this old pig only asked for a piece of red cloth to cover it!"

"The three giant wooden stakes soaked in black corpse oil?"

"Three sticks of green incense! Who could have imagined that people in this world had such heavy tastes when it came to incense, actually using perfume extracted from maiden fat?"

"Three hundred living sacrificial serfs?"

"It was the most ordinary ritual—just devoutly kowtow and gather Incense Power!"

Yin Ming: "..."

Well, damn!

Outrageously absurd had opened the door for absurdity—absurdity had come all the way home!

Wronged, so fucking wronged! If Viscount Orson's idiot blood sacrifice had gotten him killed, even Dou E would have had to hand him a handkerchief.

Luckily, he had run into a familiar god and had not been chosen as dye. Otherwise, even if he went to the Netherworld, he could only work in the City of Wrongful Deaths.

The last time he had heard such an accurate translation was in Wild Wolf Valley.

"..."

"Lost lambs prostrate ourselves before You. We are willing to offer three hundred sacrifices in exchange for the knowledge to step into the extraordinary world."

Believers?

Evil Gods had no believers, only exchanges of interest.

Orson had not made the sacrifice immediately because he intended to negotiate terms with the Evil God. To avoid angering the Evil God, he had deliberately elevated the ritual's scale to please it.

Yet the civilizational gulf between gods and men, between two worlds, had made this enhancement entirely like drawing legs on a snake.

Zhu Bajie had carelessly inhaled a breath of corpse incense. The fact that he had not torn this fellow into ten thousand pieces already showed the fine moral character of a blessed Orthodox God.

That was all?

Who gave you the nerve to make demands?

The pure-white space shattered piece by piece. The knight held his blade aloft, frozen in place by Zhu Bajie, as though time had stopped at this instant.

Riding the gourd, Yin Ming's soul returned to his body once more. The ropes around him had somehow already come undone. He walked up to the altar and cautiously asked, "When Envoy returns to the Immortal Realm, could you take this little immortal along with you?"

"No!" Zhu Bajie decisively shook his head in refusal. "This world has not been enlightened by the Dao Ancestor, so becoming immortal is far too difficult. Three natives outside the town are setting up a barrier, preparing to hunt this old pig's fruition and transcend tribulation to attain the Dao."

"Three mortals who have not become immortals—couldn't Envoy crush them with a single finger?"

"Then you are quite mistaken! The extraordinary energy in this world is not spiritual qi, and expended mana cannot be replenished."

"Besides, this world's wizards rely entirely on themselves. Those who can reach the Immortal Dao Tribulation Realm are all heroic figures capable of founding their own schools, possessing strength no weaker than ordinary True Immortals." Zhu Bajie drew a deep breath, his face grave. "Terrifying! This old pig is no match for them!"

"Then... shall we find a way to fight our way out?"

"There is no need. Giving them a clone will not matter."

Yin Ming: (╬￣皿￣).

You were a clone, and you were proud of it.

What was he supposed to do with his all-in position and fiftyfold leverage?

"..."

Mountain Territory, skies above.

A transparent Crystal Wall was gradually closing, its dome buckling the entire town inside.

Pale flames burned, like snow, like the moon—more beautiful than any firework in the world. They were neither scorching nor freezing, yet they congealed the void like all-purpose glue.

High above, an enormous black shadow coiled. Its wings blotted out the sky and sun, while its eyes were like two red lanterns, flickering in and out of view. Its trail was utterly impossible to grasp.

"Exhale—inhale..."

The air within the town gradually became incomparably viscous.

Every breath met immense resistance, his lungs like the worn bellows of an old blacksmith's shop.

Oxygen deprivation, suffocation—his body felt as though a great boulder weighed upon it.

"Golden light fills my body, protecting me."

Using his finger as a brush, Zhu Bajie drew a talisman in the air and bestowed a spell upon Yin Ming.

Brilliant divine light enveloped his body. At last, he broke free from the void's restraints, like a fish out of water returning to the river, instinctively gulping down great breaths.

"It is fate that we met beyond this domain. This old pig will not stand by and watch you die."

Zhu Bajie tossed Yin Ming a yellow talisman and a piece of white jade. "I give you one Minor Teleportation Talisman and one volume of the Primordial God-Devil Forging Art. The instant the barrier breaks open, tear the talisman, and you will have a sliver of hope for survival."

The Minor Teleportation Talisman was an immortal talisman that could transport one thousands of li away in an instant. Its importance as a life-saving treasure needed no elaboration.

The Primordial God-Devil Forging Art sounded extraordinary from its name alone.

So-called Primordial Gods and Devils actually differed somewhat from how they were depicted in Primordial Era novels. Broadly speaking, they referred to ancient cultivators who practiced unusual Dao methods before the Heavenly Court was established.

"Thank you, Marshal Tianpeng! This little immortal has no way to repay such great kindness and virtue. How about I take you as my master?"

Zhu Bajie had been enfeoffed as the Pure Altar Envoy and had once been Marshal Tianpeng, commander of the Heavenly River's hundred thousand naval troops in the Heavenly Court.

In Buddhism, he belonged to the Golden Cicada Lineage and was Buddha Tathagata's grand-disciple. In Daoism, he belonged to the Xuandu Lineage and was Supreme Lord Lao's grand-disciple.

He had both Buddhism and Daoism in his pocket. There was no network more domineering than this—acknowledging such a master would be worthwhile even if he had to water it down and drink it.

"Repaying kindness with enmity? A clone cannot make decisions for the true body."

Zhu Bajie thought seriously for a moment, then shook his head. "Let us call it a transaction! If you meet my true body in the future, give him a copy of this world's wizard cultivation method."

"I will also give you a wisp of the law of the character 'purity.' It will be useful after you become a wizard."

"Whether it is the Immortal Path or wizardry, no matter what cultivation system it is, none can compare to a method tailored exclusively for oneself. Only then can one better traverse the myriad heavens and worlds."

Dharma Form of Heaven and Earth!

Zhu Bajie's body brimmed with mana as he revealed his true Dharma Form.

Hundreds of zhang tall, with a pig's head and a human body, four white tusks protruded from his long snout like four sharp swords thrust toward the sky. Black bristles served as his hair, every strand sharp as a needle.

The Divine Statue had still retained a few traces of human-like foolishness.

But now, endless Baleful Intent and savagery spread forth, as though a ferocious beast from the barbaric age had awakened. Mortals simply could not look directly upon such a towering form.

Rolling around and throwing a tantrum—please save and recommend!