Chapter 1

In the chaos before the division of heaven and earth, all was in turmoil, vast and boundless, with no one to witness it.

Since Pangu split the primordial chaos, the world has been divided into clear and turbid, and from then on, the heavens and earth were distinguished.

All living things looked up to the supreme benevolence that covered and sustained them, and the invention of all things brought about goodness.

To know whether the journey for the scriptures will succeed, one must listen to my detailed account.

Grateful for Pangu's creation, the Three Sovereigns' governance, and the Five Emperors' establishment of order, the world was divided into four great continents: the Eastern Continent of Superior Body, the Western Continent of Cattle and Sheep, the Southern Continent of Jambudvipa, and the Northern Continent of Uttarakuru.

At the junction of the Western Continent of Cattle and Sheep and the Southern Continent of Jambudvipa, there is a river called the Flowing Sands River.

It is tens of thousands of miles long and eight hundred miles wide, and there is a poem that says: "In the realm of the Flowing Sands, the water is three thousand fathoms deep. A goose feather cannot float, and a reed flower will surely sink."

At the bottom of the Flowing Sands River, there is an old cave. Outside the cave stands a handsome man, who looks like this:

His skin is whiter than frost and snow, his brown hair is as enchanting as a fairy.

His eyes are as bright as the sun and moon, his eyebrows gather the风云 (wind and clouds).

Even the immortal of the spring cannot compare, and the moon goddess should be formless.

One day, he will spread his wings and soar among the Three Pure Ones.

What a handsome and graceful man, standing tall and elegant! But... that's not quite right, what a load of nonsense!

To say that the situation before him is good is pure nonsense. The handsome man is named Juan Xiaolian, or he can also be called the General of the Curtain.

At this very moment!

Around Juan Xiaolian, there are tens of thousands of flying swords, each emitting a cold light, all aimed at his heart.

More than five hundred years ago, Juan Xiaolian was transported to this world and became the General of the Curtain. To avoid the pain of being pierced by flying swords every seven days, he went to great lengths to please the Jade Emperor.

But just now, when Juan Xiaolian suggested that someone else should fetch the scriptures, the Jade Emperor flew into a rage and immediately struck him down into the Flowing Sands River.

It's important to note that the Monkey King hasn't even been born yet.

How many years of being pierced by tens of thousands of swords will he have to endure?

What a load of nonsense!

Juan Xiaolian's face was pale, his clothes disheveled, and he looked at the tens of thousands of flying swords around him, pleading bitterly to the sky:

"Your Majesty, spare my life!"

"I was wrong, I will fetch the scriptures... Can't I fetch the scriptures?"

"Please withdraw your power, and when you need me, I'll come down, okay?"

However!

Juan Xiaolian's pleas received no response. The flying swords emitted a powerful pressure, which, though it could not kill him, would certainly cause unbearable pain.

No matter how Juan Xiaolian moved, the tens of thousands of flying swords always aimed at his heart.

Seeing this, Juan Xiaolian's heart turned to ashes.

It's over.

Even though he had been in the world of Journey to the West for hundreds of years and had attained the cultivation of a Golden Immortal, the pain of being pierced by tens of thousands of swords was too much to bear!

Sigh!

Juan Xiaolian couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

The imperial family is the most无情 (heartless). For five hundred years, he had followed their lead, only to be treated so cruelly. If he had a choice in his reincarnation, he would rather be reborn as Zhu Bajie and be a pig than be Sha Wujing and suffer the pain of being pierced by tens of thousands of swords.

Being reincarnated as Sun Wukong or Tang Sanzang would be better, and even being the White Dragon Horse's ex-fiancé would be better than this!

Ding!

Just as Juan Xiaolian was in despair, a strange sound rang in his mind, and the flying swords and the entire space around him froze.

Then...

Drip!

"The Anti-Cliché System has been successfully bound."

Hearing the voice in his mind, Juan Xiaolian first felt a surge of joy, but then he felt depressed and thought:

"Anti-cliché my ass! I'm about to be pierced by tens of thousands of swords, and you don't even have a beginner's gift pack. Go to hell with your system!"

"I've already been thrown into the Flowing Sands River, and after enduring the pain, I'll become a Golden Body Arhat. What do I need your system for, which only shows up five hundred years late?"

Drip!

"Detected that the host refuses to accept the Anti-Cliché System. Anti-cliché successful, obtained: 'Conceptual' River God position. (The responsibility of maintaining honesty across all worlds rests on your shoulders.)"

"Note: The River God is just a concept, an intangible entity with no power. It can only reward honest people, and if used for personal gain, it will lose its divine power."

"Damn!"

Hearing the voice in his mind, Juan Xiaolian was stunned. Could this be possible?

Anti-cliché?

Intangible River God?

What the hell is this?

He might as well just endure the first piercing by the tens of thousands of swords.

The flying swords were getting closer, and Juan Xiaolian hurriedly shouted in his mind: "Quick... System, activate the River God secondary profession and turn me into an intangible River God!"

Before Juan Xiaolian could finish his thought, he was instantly transformed into an intangible River God.

In an instant!

Juan Xiaolian suddenly found himself in a completely new state of perception, his divine consciousness covering the entire Flowing Sands River, far more clearly than when he was at the Golden Immortal stage.

To the naked eye, Juan Xiaolian showed no change, but in reality, he had entered an intangible state.

Whoosh!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

In the next moment, the flying swords pierced his heart, one after another, through his heart.

But in his intangible state as the River God, the flying swords seemed to pass through his heart without causing any harm at all.

Juan Xiaolian didn't feel a thing.

"Phew!"

"This system came just in time. I almost got pierced by tens of thousands of swords."

Juan Xiaolian's face improved, and he felt relieved...

Wait a minute!

Something doesn't seem right.

He had just been thrown into the Flowing Sands River and was supposed to endure the first piercing by tens of thousands of swords. Logically, the Jade Emperor and the others should have been watching.

But now, as the flying swords pierced his heart, he felt no pain at all, which didn't seem to match up.

To avoid suspicion from the heavens, Juan Xiaolian fell backward, pretending to be in pain and shouting:

"Brother Emperor... No!"

"I was wrong, I am truly innocent with the Seven Fairy Maidens... Brother Emperor, I will fetch the scriptures... Can't I fetch the scriptures?"

"Brother Emperor, no... no... stop... ah..."

Drip!

"Anti-cliché successful, obtained: 1 Peach of Immortality."

Juan Xiaolian: ???

The sudden reward from the system left him completely baffled. Was this another anti-cliché?

"Brother Emperor, don't stop..."

Was it really that simple?

In the Jade Hall of Heaven.

The Jade Emperor sat above, looking at the projection of Juan Xiaolian in the Flowing Sands River with a dark expression. The more he looked, the angrier he became. Was this guy really begging for mercy?

At first, it seemed like he was genuinely pleading, but as the flying swords pierced his heart, the words that followed sounded a bit off.

What's this "Brother Emperor, don't stop"?

Could it be that Juan Xiaolian had practiced some disaster-avoidance technique, making the piercing by tens of thousands of swords painless?

The other immortals standing below also looked at the projection with puzzled expressions. They saw Juan Xiaolian using his clumsy acting skills, swaying left and right like a drunk boxer.

He was shouting things like "Brother Emperor, no" and "don't stop," leaving everyone bewildered.

Are you really suffering from being pierced by tens of thousands of swords?

Or have you unlocked some special pleasure from being pierced by tens of thousands of swords?

The other immortals: You must be very brave to say that!