Volume One, Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Bewilderment of the Adopted Sister; The Vastness of the Night Sky

Chapter Thirty-Seven: A Confused Night for the Sworn Sister—How Vast is Yama’s Heaven

On Mount Sumeru, Molesabi has been punished; Huluzhina is facing the wall in repentance; the little heavenly kings who had caught colds have all recovered without medication; after taking the pilfered Bull-Headed Sandalwood Elixir, both Qin Lei and Shudoluo have regained their vigor.

The Jin brothers can finally hold their heads high as junior heavenly kings on Mount Sumeru. The celestial treasures they were entitled to were personally delivered by Master Miaojiangtian, who also apologized for his previous negligence in managing his subordinates. Tuo Zhe even returned to them many treasures they had never dared dream of.

The guards of the Jin brothers’ junior heavenly king’s palace have now been fully restored. The celestial treasures daily produce more than enough divine flavors and heavenly nectar for everyone to indulge in endlessly. The yaksha guards now enjoy benefits equal to those of the two junior kings, their powers increasing daily—chests out, bellies round, radiating swagger and confidence.

Who now dares to look down on the followers and guards of the Jin junior heavenly kings? Have you heard? Our young master is Tuo Zhe—yes, that Tuo Zhe!

The only regret is that Tuo Zhe is about to follow the Lord of Muxiuloutuo to Yama’s Heaven. When will he return? No one knows.

Before his departure, Tuo Zhe used the Bentoli Flower spatial artifact to meet with his sworn sister, Lady Delight of Heaven.

In the endless golden rain of light, Lady Delight smiled at her younger brother. “I don’t know how long you’ll be gone. But if you miss me, just speak to the Bentoli Flower, or instantly teleport here. No matter how far apart, it’s but a step away—a small divine power in itself…”

Tuo Zhe rubbed his nose. “That’s not really a divine power, is it? It’s just the teleportation array you engraved, sis. Today, I called you here because, after I leave, Huluzhina might play some nasty tricks to bully my father, uncle, or brothers. I hope you’ll look after them. If you can’t handle it, just send word through this array. I’ll trouble you with this, sis...”

Lady Delight’s smile bloomed beautifully. “Go without worry. With me here, nothing major will go wrong. Besides, my family isn’t to be trifled with. My father’s divine powers—if not for Shakyamuni Buddha’s Kingly Mantra for Indra’s protection—Mount Sumeru would be nothing compared to our family. Normally, no one would dare offend us. By the way, little brother, when will you go see my father? You can’t have your sister acknowledge you and ignore my father, right?”

Tuo Zhe laughed heartily. “No problem. Your father is also my godfather, isn’t he? When I return from Yama’s Heaven, I’ll pay my respects to Lord Rahu.”

Lady Delight beamed. “It’s a promise—don’t make me wait too long…”

Tuo Zhe scratched his head awkwardly. “Sis, you know about Doggie’s situation... It’s a bit special, isn’t it? I truly can’t promise how long it’ll take. But, I’ll let you know the moment I’m back, and we’ll visit together, all right?”

Lady Delight sighed. “Well, that’s all we can do…”

The two chatted idly for most of the day, some words meaningful, others not.

Just before leaving, Lady Delight hesitated and said, “About those two lines of poetry you recited the other day… did you write them?”

Tsk—

Another literary young lady, and she’s hung up on just two lines of broken verse? The problem is, I plagiarized them!

Tuo Zhe didn’t explain, only blinked and said, “I have no other great talents, but I’m quite good at poetry. When I come back, maybe I’ll enter the Young Talents Literary and Martial Tournament and win first prize—writing poetry is nothing, right?”

Lady Delight gazed at him eagerly. “Before I go, could you give me two more lines?”

Tuo Zhe blurted out, “If love between two hearts can last for long, why need they dwell together night and day…”

He realized too late that these words were too suggestive, quickly glancing at Lady Delight. She seemed lost in a reverie, softly murmuring to herself:

“If love between two hearts can last for long,
Why need they dwell together night and day…”

Tuo Zhe thought, I’d better send her away quickly. Writing poetry is truly a hazard!

Isn’t it?

Yama’s Heaven, sixth among the heavens of desire, lies one hundred sixty-eight thousand yojanas from Jambudvipa (Earth) of Tuo Zhe’s previous life, and eighty-four thousand yojanas from Mount Sumeru, separated by a crystalline barrier.

Ordinary denizens of Mount Sumeru wishing to reach Yama’s Heaven must shatter the crystal barrier and ascend in glory—just as practitioners from Jambudvipa must undergo tribulation and ascend to the heavens of the Four Heavenly Kings or Mount Sumeru. The only difference is that the crystal barrier is invisible to the naked eye.

Of course, such barriers between heavens are nothing to lords like Mara or Muxiuloutuo. With a single thought, they can traverse instantly—what is time to them?

Shielded in golden light from Muxiuloutuo, Tuo Zhe, holding Doggie, felt only a moment of dizziness before arriving in a world of wonders.

Yama’s Heaven is built upon the clouds, spanning eighty thousand yojanas in width and length, resplendent and majestic.

The ground is made of heavenly crystal; all the flora possess divine attributes; myriad sacred and spirit beasts roam together; wondrous birds sing everywhere. Through the mist-covered landscape, mountains and rivers flow, crossing through space.

There are thirty-two sacred sites—Dominion, Ascension, Forest of Light, Carriage, and Pilgrimage—filled with palaces and pavilions, mountains of Purity, Immaculacy, Supreme Purity, and Inward Image, each in its place, lying or sitting, each with a Buddha’s visage.

What amazed him most was the abundance of sacred energy, thick as mist—just one breath filled every meridian, nourishing like milk, instantly bringing joy and delight.

So this is the Celestial Realm—the entire domain floats in the sky, saturated with sacred energy so dense it seems about to condense into dewdrops.

The sacred energy here far exceeds that of Mount Sumeru, which itself surpassed Earth by countless times. And what of the higher realms—Tusita Heaven, the Blissful Land, or the Heaven of Mara, his cheap master? Unimaginable. Comparing mortals to mortals brings despair; comparing heavens to heavens, the lesser realm crumbles.

The Lord of Yama’s Heaven, Muxiuloutuo, resides in the Dominion.

Here, the Palace of Yama’s Heaven is shaped like a lotus, rising over a thousand yojanas high. Countless grand buildings and overlapping halls are adorned on all sides with four kinds of heavenly flowers: white Mandarava, Mahamandarava, and red Manjusaka, Mahamanjusaka. Around the palace, pools and rivers sparkle amid groves and forests, a wondrous paradise of supreme bliss.

Countless imposing, fierce-faced heavenly yakshas guard the towers, ramparts, and grand gates of the palace. At the sight, Tuo Zhe couldn’t help but wonder—are yakshas specialized house guards, akin to city wardens or patrol squads from his past life?

He chuckled—like the local ruffians of Baoding, the sharp-tongued folk of Tianjin, and the yakshas of heaven.

But as he laughed, he remembered his friend Shudoluo, a loyal chap—mocking his kin felt unfair, so he stopped himself.

The group finally took their seats in Muxiuloutuo’s grand hall.

Muxiuloutuo kept his gaze fixed on Doggie, watching her look about with curiosity. It seemed that her previous environment stirred no memories or thoughts, and he sighed.

Mara, however, turned his heavy gaze to Tuo Zhe. “Disciple, do you know why your master came here with you?”

Tuo Zhe was taken aback. “Didn’t Master just come for a visit?”

Mara sneered, “Ignorant boy. If not for your genuine feelings for Doggie, if not for your passionate nature, which suits my taste, ask yourself—would Lord Muxiuloutuo spare your life? Ask yourself—would I spare your life? Think again: if you stayed on Mount Sumeru, would Indra not try to kill you?”

Tuo Zhe was momentarily stunned and raised his hand to stop Mara’s tirade. He bowed his head in silent thought, then suddenly understood and replied calmly,

“Of course I know. Let’s put it this way—Indra has ten thousand reasons to kill me, that’s no surprise. But as for you two wanting to do so, I suspect it’s because I possess a unique treasure.

This treasure could arouse greed and murderous intent even in beings as great as you. I suspect that among the things Maniashu, the Great Thief of the Three Realms, placed in my Sumeru Ring, there is something I’ve yet to discover.

Whatever it is, once known, no one could suppress the urge to seize it, even by murder. Am I right, Master?”