Chapter Thirty-Six: The Three Punishments and the Six Paths

"Fairy sister, it’s best if you break the seal on the Celestial Pure Void Talisman," Yang Nan said, knowing that his own strength was too meager to deal with the treasured artifact of Mount Longhu. Even if he secretly claimed it, he doubted he could use it before reaching the rank of Grandmaster—one of the reasons he was willing to be so forthright.

Bu Xu said nothing more. With a graceful lift of her slender hand, she took up the Celestial Pure Void Talisman, breathed out a ray of golden light, and began to refine it. Disabling the restrictions was a prerequisite for using another’s magical treasure. The talisman had been sealed by generations of Mount Longhu's greatest masters. If not for Bu Xu’s unstoppable Yang-based power, she might have been helpless before its formidable wards. Old Niu had possessed this treasure for more than a decade yet left the treasure mountain empty-handed, all for lack of strength—otherwise, how could it have so easily fallen into Yang Nan’s grasp?

Seeing Bu Xu wholly absorbed in refining the artifact, Yang Nan quietly drew Chi Yang aside. To him, Chi Yang was as dear as a blood brother. Even the rarest celestial treasure could not compare to the deep bond between them; naturally, this talisman was as much Chi Yang’s as his own.

"Ah Nan, if Fairy Bu Xu learns of this talisman..." Chi Yang’s face was clouded with hesitation.

Yang Nan gently shook his head and, taking Chi Yang's large hand, smiled. "Don’t worry, brother. I’ll soon be joining the Kunlun Sect. Fairy Bu Xu is only borrowing this treasure; she won’t take it away. You may use it yourself to aid your advancement in the future."

Chi Yang’s worries vanished at once. This had been his only concern. He was not greedy for the talisman itself, only thinking of Yang Nan’s well-being. The world of cultivators was fraught with deadly rivalries—only one's fellow sect members could be trusted. Every practitioner knew: within the sect, intrigue was one thing, but when facing external enemies, all must unite or perish without a trace.

Now that Yang Nan was entering Kunlun, and seeing Bu Xu’s magnanimity, Chi Yang felt reassured. If even a fellow cultivator who had endured hardship together could not be trusted, then who in this world could be?

"Now I’m at ease, Ah Nan. Your cultivation is not yet deep, and I worried your progress would be slow. With this talisman to aid you, you will soar to the heavens in no time!" Chi Yang was overjoyed at the increasing treasures Yang Nan had obtained.

Yang Nan was moved, gazing at Chi Yang’s eyes brimming with care. "Brother!"

Chi Yang laughed heartily. "Ah Nan, no need for such sentiment. I once worried that your softness and mercy would lead to your ruin at the hands of the likes of Yang Cheng, but I’ve seen your decisiveness and ruthlessness firsthand. My mind is at rest. The Kunlun Sect is no easy path, but with your talent and temperament, you will surely achieve greatness! If I meet our old lord in the underworld, I’ll have good news to report."

Yang Nan gripped Chi Yang’s hand tightly, vowing in his heart that if ever he succeeded, he would see Chi Yang attain the rank of Grandmaster in his lifetime. Such devotion and protection were blessings beyond measure—without it, he, a mere youth, would have been robbed halfway along the road...

"Agh—! Stop, I surrender!" Screams jolted Yang Nan and Chi Yang from their thoughts. Naturally, it was the pair suffering the cruel punishment of being flayed like fish. Exiting the cabin, Yang Nan and Chi Yang saw that the once-unyielding Old Niu was now barely clinging to life, his body shuddering unnaturally. The gold-armored Gold Carp Spirit had lost all his luster, reduced to pale flesh, golden scales heaped about him. Commander Shrimp and his squad of demon soldiers were gleefully administering fresh torments.

It seemed that from now on, the Golden Scaled King would have to be renamed "Pale Flesh King." Yang Nan couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. This carp spirit had devoured who knew how many people in the Hun River—this was his comeuppance. Chi Yang, ever hostile to demons and evil, felt not a shred of pity for the likes of Old Niu, a man who had betrayed and murdered his own kin. With Old Crab still away at the Star Lake Water Fortress, Chi Yang took his own life-bound weapon to provide support.

Bu Xu would need another hour to finish refining the Celestial Pure Void Talisman. With nothing else to do, Yang Nan folded his arms to watch. The lesser demons, seeing their lord observing, beat and tormented their prisoners with renewed fervor.

The Golden Scaled King suffered agony as his scales were torn out. As the saying goes: "A fish without scales cannot live." The pain was such that all his former arrogance had vanished without a trace. The moment he saw Yang Nan approach, he wailed, "Spare me, master! I submit! From now on, I’ll go east if you say east, never dare to go west. Just please, have them stop!"

Yang Nan looked at the shivering, pitiful King and smiled kindly. "Did you not have the monks of Golden Stupa Temple backing you? Why beg for mercy now?"

The Golden Scaled King felt a chill at Yang Nan’s mild smile. He knew this youth was ruthless and cared nothing for the lives of demons like himself, so he answered honestly, "You may not know, master, but I actually escaped from Golden Stupa Temple. Those high monks would never go to war over a mere little fish like me."

"Oh?" Yang Nan was intrigued. "Tell me more."

With a wave of Yang Nan’s hand, Commander Shrimp halted the torture. Relieved, the Golden Scaled King was only too eager to confess every detail, knowing that if he failed to please this youth, death would be a mercy denied.

The Golden Scaled King was once a golden carp of Wangjiang in Western Prefecture. It was said that such carp were descendants of the true dragons of the sea, inheriting a trace of draconic blood. Legends held that if a golden carp cultivated to the highest level, it could leap the Dragon Gate at the river’s mouth and become a true dragon.

Over a thousand years ago, this King was an ordinary golden carp, caught by a fisherman because of his gluttony. He was rescued by a monk, Master Yifa of Golden Stupa Temple, one of three renowned masters—Yifa, Yiyuan, and Yimiao—who had all attained the rank of Arhat and were said to be nearing Bodhisattva-hood, their power extraordinary.

Thus blessed, the Golden Scaled King lived in the temple’s lotus pond, listening to sutras for centuries. Over time, he refined a wisp of Buddhist energy, gained spiritual powers, and finally took human form. Eight hundred years ago, he secretly plucked two sacred white lotuses from the pond to forge a pair of lotus hammers. Taking advantage of a flood, he fled the temple and swam upstream for ten thousand miles to the Hun River, establishing himself as king.

The river god of Hun River, noting his unusual form and Buddhist aura, granted him rule over a thousand miles of Star Lake. There he settled for centuries. Later, when the river god left for the Heavenly River by the water god’s command, the Golden Scaled King grew bold and began his reign of terror.

Gluttonous and lazy, yet powerful, the King soon formed close ties with the three pirate chiefs of Star Lake, who plied him with delicacies and child sacrifices, securing his loyalty as their most formidable enforcer.

Yang Nan could not help but laugh at the tale—this spirit had joined with humans to rob and murder, a story fit to make the world laugh. Still, his honesty was a relief. At least they had not incurred the wrath of the formidable monks of Golden Stupa Temple, one of Buddhism’s three great sanctuaries.

"So, you’re a fugitive from Golden Stupa Temple?" Yang Nan stared at the pale, trembling King, a strange light in his eyes.

The Golden Scaled King nodded meekly, cursing his fate. Once, he had blustered behind the banner of Buddhism; now his own admissions had doomed him. But if he lied, he would surely die—at least truth might win him a reprieve from this ruthless youth.

"Commander Shrimp!" Yang Nan suddenly barked.

Commander Shrimp shivered and cried, "At your command!"

"You wield the rod of discipline well. Tonight, have Old Crab reward you handsomely. But keep at it—use all your best tricks: the Waterborne Flying Fish, the Silver Streak, let the Golden Scaled King sample them all. Teach him to behave himself from now on!"

"Yes, sir!" Commander Shrimp replied gleefully. He waved his hand and a troop of little demons swarmed the King. This time they did not tear out his scales, but laid him on the deck and covered him with strange stones, scrutinizing their placement as if preparing a sacrificial fish. The Golden Scaled King was terrified, wailing, "Master, spare me! I’ve surrendered, I’ll never make trouble again... Wuuu..."

Commander Shrimp slapped him. "What are you whining for? Shut up unless you want to die!"

The King had no shred of dignity left. Terrified, he muttered, "Isn’t this torture meant to kill me? Why not just grant me a swift death?"

Commander Shrimp grinned and nodded toward the nearly lifeless Old Niu. "He’s the one we’re torturing to death. You? Consider yourself lucky—our young master has taken a liking to you. Survive the night and you’ll be one of us!"

One of us? The Golden Scaled King’s eyes lit up. "One of you? Then why not let me go?"

Commander Shrimp sneered, "You think it’s so easy to join our young master’s retinue? Any demon who surrenders must first endure the Three Tortures and Six Paths—otherwise, the first chance you get, you’ll betray us. Only after tasting the world’s harshest punishments will you lose the guts to rebel. You’ve eaten thousands of boys and girls—dying would be a fair trade. Back then, I suffered even worse—at least I’d only eaten a few corpses..."

Even now, Commander Shrimp shivered at the memory of his young master’s endless methods for disciplining demons. No matter what temptations the world might offer, he would never betray Yang Nan again—the lesson was written in blood. The young master’s punishments were endless, never repeating the same trick twice...

The so-called Three Tortures and Six Paths were the Flaying Torture, the Filth Torture, and the Soul Torture—injuring flesh, destroying organs, extracting the soul. These were the three great torments. The Six Paths—Heaven, Earth, Human, Demon, Ghost, and Beast—comprised a total of one hundred and eight unspeakable punishments. Even their names bespoke horror. Any demon who survived could be called the toughest survivor under the heavens. For demons, the very mention of the Six Paths could bring tears to the eyes and reduce all to silence...