Chapter 1016: Sleeping Dragon Cliff's Origin
Wo Longxuan began to contemplate. Only ancestor-level characters in the cliff knew about this secret, but now, this stranger named Chu Yuntian knew this many things. This was too shocking.
"There's no need to be alarmed or have thoughts about killing me." Li Qiye lazily looked at her: "Even if you were in your prime state, I would still kill you as easily as crushing a chicken."
"Such a big tone! Maybe, if you were a Godking." She coldly retorted. However, no matter how she tried, she couldn't see the cultivation of this Chu Yuntian before her.
"Whether I am a Godking or not is not important. I don't really worry about people of your level." Li Qiye smiled and looked at her: "However, old dwellers of the depths, eh. If I really crushed you to death, it would be a huge shame. A bloodline like yours has not appeared for a very long time so it is quite precious, even more than an Immortal Medicine."
"What do you want to do?!" She was shocked after hearing this. This Chu Yuntian knew too many things. He would be more dangerous than anyone if he had any bad ideas about her.
"What can I do?" He slowly glanced at her: "Am I going to drink your blood to nourish myself? Or should I rape you to give birth to my child? I can't do either."
"Your race has a particular fishy smell so I won't be drinking your blood. As for you bearing my child? I'm sorry to say that although your bloodline isn't bad, it would be pushing it for you to bear my children. Even a woman with the bloodline of a true immortal wouldn't necessarily be qualified to have my child." Li Qiye teasingly winked at her and laughed.
She was livid after hearing this and glared at him while shaking. She was a great beauty. In both the northern sea and the Mortal Emperor World, she would be the focus no matter where she went, yet Li Qiye made it sound as if she was not worth a single coin.
She said with exasperation: "If you don't have anything else, I want to meditate to heal."
Li Qiye kept on looking at her and smiled leisurely: "Miss, don't misunderstand, this is my room. You would be taking it over by doing something rude like that." 1
"Fine, are there any other rooms here? Let me have one." She was going berserk from talking to him and struggled to get up.
Li Qiye swung his sleeve and stopped her from doing so: "Okay, I'm just joking with you. Even if you meditate for three to five years, you still wouldn't be able to cure this wound. It is useless to rush it right now."
She was quite angry and had just managed to quell down this resentment. She coldly snorted and sat back down, still a bit irritated.
He looked at the angry girl and spoke: "Your defeat to the Jewel Pillar Saint Child is to be expected this time."
Wo Longxuan was not down about it. She immediately replied: "Winning or losing is just part of the warrior's way. This isn't my first defeat anyway, so what's the big deal? I'll win next time!"
"You still don't get it." Li Qiye smiled and shook his head: "Jewel Pillar won't give you a next time."
His response caught her off guard. She coldly spoke: "You were watching the entire time in secret?"
"Wrong again." Li Qiye shook his head: "I only saw the start of the fight but have already figured out the outcome, so there was no need to keep on watching."
"What do you mean? What else do you know?" She stared at him intensely.
Li Qiye smirked and didn't answer. He lazily sat there while staring at her.
Wo Longxuan took a deep breath. In the end, she was still a sect master who had experienced many turmoils and was capable of letting go of her pride. She calmed her emotions and sat straight in a formal pose to look at Li Qiye: "This little sister has many questions. Please, Fellow Daoist, enlighten me."
Despite dropping her posture, she was still as elegant and charming as ever.
"Some people say that women can change their attitude faster than one turning the page of a book. This saying is definitely correct." Li Qiye smilingly quipped.
Wo Longxuan was annoyed once more, but she quickly controlled her emotions. She earnestly stared at him and spoke: "If Fellow Daoist only wants to tease me, then there's nothing else I can do."
She was in a disadvantageous state at this moment, so her soft demeanor made her seem quite amiable. Anyone — as long as they were men — would like a sensible woman.
Li Qiye couldn't help but smile after seeing her method. He nonchalantly sat there and asked: "What do you not understand?"
She pondered for a moment before lifting her head and spoke: "The Mortal King was different this time."
"Because he was going all the way? Not giving up until he kills you?" Li Qiye replied with a smile.
She slowly confirmed: "That's right, this didn't happen in our last two fights after a victor was decided."
Li Qiye chuckled: "Then why do you think he wanted to kill you? Is it because your potential poses a sufficient threat in the future, so he would rather kill you before your wings are fully grown? Or is it because you no longer have any value, so he might as well kill you to augment his prestige?"
Wo Longxuan mused the two hypothetical situations. She couldn't come up with an answer right away.
"You know, but he doesn’t." Li Qiye smiled: "Although the saint child is a bit talented, his level cannot get into my sight. You have an ancient bloodline that he and even the person behind him in the shadows don't know about…"
"… You still have a long way to go, it is normal to lose to him. First, you have only just begun to tap into your bloodline and are far from taking the next step. Second, he has seen your cliff's dao laws, so you have lost your value as a training tool. The only thing that's left for you in his eyes is to act as a stepping stone. He will kill you to show his might to the rest of the world." Li Qiye paused here and stared at her.
She was quiet for a moment before finally lifting her head to ask: "You mentioned this person behind him, who is he?"
"Who do you think?" Li Qiye answered with a question.
She pondered for a moment before speculating: "A very, very powerful existence. Even though I've lost to the Mortal King, I was still confident about leaving alive! The moment the Mortal King gave chase, I fled very far away in an instant. He did not give up and continued his pursuit…"
"I know that your dragon cliff has a particular escape art. Indeed, if you wanted to escape, the saint child, who is not versed in speed, would definitely not be able to catch up to you." Li Qiye interjected.
"However, there was someone who suddenly ambushed me. The person was very powerful and I couldn't see their face. I immediately felt danger and summoned a secret treasure from my sect to shatter the void and escape." She was palpitating while recalling the event. The ambusher was too powerful. If she didn't use a massive amount of blood energy to summon her secret treasure, she wouldn't have been able to escape and would have been killed by that person.
"Then it is correct. It shows that the saint child was only using you as a sharpening stone." Li Qiye claimed.
"You mean, this was just an experiment?" She was both startled and skeptical.
He continued: "That's one way to put it. Judging from his recent battles, you can see that he is trying to find the most suitable offensive method. Think about it, who did he fight recently and what were the results?"
She pondered for a moment before speaking: "You could say that the Mortal King has challenged all the most famous youths in the Mortal Emperor World. Jikong Wudi, Zhan Shi, Lin Tiandi, Bai Jianzhen, Mei Suyao…"
"Normally, he would lose on the first challenge. During the second, he would have the chance to even the score." Li Qiye said.
Wo Longxuan replied: "There are indeed signs of that. It was true when I fought him, and the same goes for Jikong Wudi. He lost to Jikong Wudi the first time and won the second. That was quite difficult to imagine for the people back then. No one thought that he could win because everyone knew that Jikong Wudi had an absolute advantage during the first battle!"
"This is because it is not just the saint child fighting, but also someone else. The person behind him in the shadows." Li Qiye said: "One hundred wars to become a deity; one hundred victories to become an emperor. The saint child is not an extremely brilliant person. He requires countless battles to gain experience, borrowing war to find his enemies' weakness to make up for his own!"
Li Qiye paused for a bit here: "The saint child is not afraid of losing because he knows full well that he won't die as a result due to the great person protecting him! Otherwise, he wouldn't be going around the world asking to fight. This is proven because if he was a fanatic for battle or someone who loves cultivating, he would have challenged people in the past already."
"He is a cautious person!" Wo Longxuan had a good understanding after fighting with the Mortal King.
"Yes, he is quite cautious." Li Qiye chuckled: "But now, everyone is calling him a War Fanatic. Is he truly in love with battle to the point of insanity? No! He is only using others to sharpen himself."
The idiom here is a bit hard to translate, so it’s localized. This is the literal translation — the guest acts as the host (idiom). The usual meaning is that it is a strategy to seize the advantageous situation, to have the host's advantage. Li Qiye is using it to say that she is being rude. ↩Chapter 1017: Seeking Buddhism
Wo Longxuan had to comment: "Who is this person behind him? Is it an ancestor from the Jewel Pillar Sacred School?"
Li Qiye shook his head: "An ancestor from the school? I'm afraid not. Even though the school has many physique laws, it can't reach this level of proficiency in so many different aspects. The person knows the dao techniques of this world too well, not just anyone can accomplish this!"
Wo Longxuan contemplated again. She lost completely this time against the Mortal King. It was just like Chu Yuntian said, the king found the right merit laws to restrain her so that she was at a complete disadvantage and had no way to reverse the tides.
"There's no need to be dejected. The saint child isn't bad and the person behind him is quite heaven-defying." Li Qiye spoke: "However, if you can comprehend the mysteries of your bloodline, defeating him won't be difficult!"
She softly sighed and replied: "Perhaps, but even if that day comes, it will be a very long time from now."
She was not someone who wallows in despair upon defeat. However, her situation was not optimistic due to her grave injuries. Even if she could return to the Grand Sea, she still needed many years to recover. Comprehending her bloodline would require an even longer period of time.
"Take this, my medicine can heal your injury quite quickly." Li Qiye casually threw a small bottle to her. Its tiny size would make others think that he was quite stingy!
At first, she didn't really care and only opened it unconcernedly. When the bottle was opened, a sweet fragrance capable of making people feel refreshed drifted out. The ointment inside resembled the fat of a dragon with flashing glimmers.
Wo Longxuan was shocked to see this type of ointment. Even if she wasn't knowledgeable about medicine, she still knew that this ointment was supreme.
"What, what is this medicine?" She stared at Li Qiye in amazement.
Li Qiye chuckled in response: "Heaven Restoration Salve. It can cure your wounds in a short amount of time."
"Heaven Restoration Salve!" She was startled: "I have heard of this medicine before. Legend states that it is the best medicine in the nine worlds, but no one has ever been able to refine it."
Having said that, she stared at Li Qiye in disbelief. She didn't know who this Chu Yuntian was at all!
What was even more stunning was that Chu Yuntian casually gave her such a precious medicine. Keep in mind that they didn't know each other. She didn't think that her charm was great enough for someone else to easily hand over the best medicine in the nine worlds either.
She eventually calmed down with difficulty and took a deep breath before staring at him: "Why are you handing me this priceless medicine?"
She couldn't guess what the man was thinking at all. He was a mystery that couldn't be explored.
"Because I don't want you to die." Li Qiye leisurely said: "An ancient bloodline, old to the point of being untraceable. I really want to see how pure this bloodline can eventually get."
"You truly know about my bloodline?" She stared at him. In fact, even her Sleeping Dragon Cliff didn't know too much about this bloodline. This was because it was very long ago since the last time a pure bloodline like hers appeared. They were no longer the same cliff as back then, no longer the legendary dwellers of the sea.
"At the very least, much more than your cliff." Li Qiye said with a smile: "Someone with this bloodline hasn't appeared in your cliff in a very long time, so all of you have almost forgotten that your ancestors came from the sea!"
"Fellow Daoist is so knowledgeable, this little sister hopes that you can teach me a thing or two about my bloodline." She was not a fool. On the contrary, clever was a suitable word to describe her.
He couldn't help but smile: "Teach you? Of course I can teach you. The question is, what is in it for me? I can occasionally act as a good person, but not always. If you want to harvest, you must work for it. I need my efforts to be reciprocated!"
This response left her silent. She didn't know anything about this Chu Yuntian, so she couldn't make any promises to someone she knew nothing about.
"Recuperate well." He glanced at the silent girl and smiled before standing up to go to the Sutra Room to read more scrolls.
She stayed behind in the temple to recover while using the Heaven Restoration Salve. Her injuries healed very quickly. They were quite serious; even her dao foundation was damaged.
Judging from her injuries, even if she fled back to the Sleeping Dragon Cliff and used their incredible ointments, it would take as long as ten years before she could heal. However, under the medicinal effect of this salve, she was able to be completely cured in just four to five days.
This astonished her completely. This salve was simply too heaven-defying. She couldn't help but murmur its name: "Heaven Restoration, Heaven Restoration, if you can restore even the heavens, what can't you do?"
She had heard of this name before from the older generation. However, it was only an item of the legends. She knew that it was the best medicine in the nine worlds. The truth was that even her ancestors didn't know what it was, let alone seeing it with their own eyes. They had only heard of the name. Even the best alchemists couldn't refine and create the Heaven Restoration Salve.
But now, Li Qiye gave the number one medicine to her so that she could see its true effects. How could she not become frightened?
After making a full recovery in just a few short days, she actually didn't leave and remained in the temple. Outside of wanting to know the monster behind the saint child, she also wanted to find out just who this Chu Yuntian was.
During this time, Li Qiye stayed in the Sutra Room. Although there were other heavenly grottos here, they couldn't seal the phenomena that appeared in this library.
The room continued to emit a Buddhist radiance. Although the amount was very little due to the seal, they were very palpable. Each Buddhist string of light seemed to be made from gold. These golden strings didn't only have a golden shade, they also emitted a metallic sound like falling gold powder.
The phenomena exceeded just these lights. Outside of the room, one could hear Buddhist chants as if the territory inside had become a kingdom of Buddha. It gave the illusion that a Buddhist Lord was chanting inside. Each word became a supreme Buddhist mantra and law, each phrase became its own world!
In the next few days, even these grottos could no longer seal the phenomena inside. Following these visual imageries, a golden lotus first grew out from the ground. Several days later, more lotuses bloomed as a golden spring oozed out from the courtyard. This billowing golden spring represented the highest symbol of Buddhism.
This scene didn't only frighten Wo Longxuan, even the cold old abbess was startled. The descriptions in the legends about someone capable of spewing out lotuses and making golden springs surge from the ground were only like this at best. 1
Though both women couldn't see the scenes inside the Sutra Room, just these oozing golden springs and golden lotuses growing everywhere allowed them to easily imagine what was going on. Perhaps that place had become a Buddhist Kingdom with tens of millions of worshipers, millions of battle monks, and a hundred thousand meditating Bodhisattvas…
Eventually, the phenomena disappeared. One could hear a squeaking sound as Li Qiye came out from the Sutra Room. At this time, the current Li Qiye was not too different from before. He became even more ordinary looking, a transformation back to the origin.
Despite seeming even more ordinary, when one stood close to Li Qiye, they would inexplicable feel an unspeakable Buddhist affinity. It was as if a supreme Buddhist Lord was converting and enlightening you in a natural and mysterious process. People would suddenly feel an impulse to prostrate and convert to the Buddhist order.
Wo Longxuan was a genius as well as the sect master of the Sleeping Dragon Cliff. Her dao heart was extremely strong. However, when she stood close to Li Qiye, her dao heart suddenly felt a ripple with his image; an image of him looking like a Buddhist Lord.
"What is this black magic!" Wo Longxuan jumped from shock and stared at him.
At this time, Li Qiye was very gentle and calm. The world became tranquil wherever he stood. Even time didn't dare to disturb him.
"This is the Dharma, a salvation for all existences." Li Qiye smiled. He was clearly not a monk, but his smile gave off the illusion that he was a Buddhist Lord who loved all living beings!
Wo Longxuan's mind quaked. She took a deep breath and channeled her dao law to repel all distractions and calm these ripples in her mind. Nevertheless, she was still astounded.
Li Qiye hadn't used any laws, just his words were able to move her heart. This was far too terrifying. Even the boundless Dharma of the legends wouldn't be any more influential than this.
Eventually, he put the key back and stood before the Bodhisattva statue. He placed his palms together and bowed his head before leaving. Now, nothing was holding him back.
The whole time, the old abbess remained seated in the same place without saying a word.
After exiting the temple, Li Qiye turned around and asked: "Why are you following me?"
Wo Longxuan was right behind him. Moreover, she had changed her appearance and was shrouded in a black attire.
Some idioms serving as adjectives for magnificent sceneries here. They can be used to describe a holy person or a great rhetor as well. ↩Chapter 1018: Meeting The Middle Continent Princess Again
She stood still and looked at him before smiling: "I'm following to take a look at what kind of person you really are."
She was no longer concealing her goal. She understood that hiding or lying in front of Li Qiye was a foolish idea.
"The person behind the Mortal King is probably still looking for you. If you are smart, then leave this place and return to your cliff. You are not the Mortal King's match and definitely not that person's match." Despite his calm demeanor, he gave off a transcendent temperament.
"I also want to see who he is as well." She smiled. Unfortunately, her face was hidden so no one could see her kingdom-toppling smile.
Li Qiye only looked at her for a bit. In the end, he didn't say anything and turned around to continue onward. Wo Longxuan followed right behind him. Judging from her appearance, she was determined to go wherever he went.
Of course, Li Qiye didn't really care. He couldn't feel that there was a person right behind him at all. Meanwhile, she felt something completely different. Each of his steps seemed very slow, but the truth was that they were extremely swift.
The even stranger part was that it wasn't Li Qiye moving, but the entire Buddhist Funeral Plateau. It was as if Li Qiye was the center of the plateau. He stood in place, completely still, while the entire plateau moved for his sake.
The even more mystical aspect was that Li Qiye did not emit any Buddhist lights or visual phenomena. However, there was an indescribable feeling while standing behind him — a Buddhist aura, both majestic and gentle. It gave off a sudden sensation that it was not Li Qiye walking but a supreme Buddhist Lord.
The sun was rising from the horizon as Li Qiye slowly trod forward. A golden light from the grand dao was pouring out from behind him. These golden rays scattered as if they wanted to save all living beings.
This feeling of grandeur made Wo Longxuan breathe deeply to compose herself and protect her dao heart. Otherwise, it would be affected by him despite its resilience.
Many were affected by the Buddhist affinity from the plateau. However, for someone at her level, unless they came to challenge the eighteen temples, this affinity was negligible.
But now, Li Qiye wasn't using any Buddhist arts or chanting sutras, yet he was already affecting her to a great extent. The Buddhist affinity that emanated from his body had reached an unbelievable magnitude. If he started chanting or used Buddhist laws, she didn't know how long she would be able to hold out for.
How could Wo Longxuan not be astonished by this? Someone of her level understood the distinction between illusions and reality. However, the scene ahead was neither an illusion nor reality, it was an indirect sign, telling her that this Chu Yuntian had a terrifying Buddhist affinity. Or rather, he had obtained a Buddhist heart! 1
"You cultivate the Buddhist dao?" Wo Longxuan couldn't help but ask while following right behind him. Keep in mind that one couldn't reach this such a powerful level overnight.
"I am Buddha, so there's no need to cultivate." Li Qiye answered: "All myriad dao have one origin while one law creates myriad dao. I am the law, a law of Buddhism; my words are the Buddhist dao."
The volume of his voice was quite low, but in Wo Longxuan's ears, his answer echoed to the nine layers of the firmament. It was as if a Buddhist Lord was speaking, a speech capable of changing the universe and causing myriad laws to resonate.
She protected her dao heart to avoid being affected by him while curiously inquiring: "Are you trying to join Nalanda? Or maybe you came from there?"
The Nalanda Temple was the leading area for the Buddhist faith. No one could compete with it. At the plateau, anyone who had some achievements with Buddhism would join Nalanda. However, not just anyone was able to enter.
"Go there?" Li Qiye laughed again: "I am Buddha, so why do I need to join another monastery? The end of the path of Buddhism is me, so I don't need anyone to teach me."
His words silenced Wo Longxuan. This ordinary man ahead was extraordinary. Maybe he was right, he was Buddha himself or even a great Buddhist Lord!
The two continued on their way without talking. Eventually, Li Qiye arrived at a temple that was neither large or small. The weathered walls and roof tiles were quite old and had lost their luster.
Nevertheless, the temple was still emitting a burning Buddhist aura as if it was one with the momentum of this world. Any wise person could see that it was not so simple.
Standing outside, Li Qiye looked up carefully before entering the temple with Wo Longxuan right behind him.
Although she was not versed in feng shui, the moment she stepped inside, she could feel that this temple was quite extraordinary. It seemed to be one with the world, giving off an indestructible toughness. It resembled an impregnable citadel rather than a temple of worship.
There were no pilgrims inside and very few monks. As an expert, Wo Longxuan was able to sense that there were monks sitting inside the rooms of the temple even though they were absent in the main mall.
"May I ask if Benefactors are here to burn some incense or to sleep for the night?" After Li Qiye entered the temple, an old monk finally came to greet him with both hands clasped together.
Li Qiye looked at him and flatly said: "I want to see your master."
Still with the Buddhist gesture, the monk gently shook his head: "I'm sorry, but Benefactor came at the wrong time. Our abbot is in closed meditation and won't meet guests. Please come back another day."
"I don't want to see your abbot." Li Qiye shook his head: "I want to see your master, Bu Lianxiang!"
"Who might Benefactor be…" The old monk's eyes turned serious the moment he heard this. A radiance flashed within his pupils like the rays at the far reaches of the horizon.
Li Qiye smiled and said: "Tell her an old friend is visiting."
Having said that, his Buddhist energy soared outside. A golden lotus slowly blossomed below his feet. A golden spring oozed from the ground while Buddhist hymns resounded like the chanting of a million monks.
Even though there were no changes to his body, he appeared to be incredibly grand like a gigantic Buddha capable of shouldering the blue sky with a single stomp. His sutras would grant salvation for all living beings.
This wasn't an illusion but extremely tangible Buddhism. Only an unfathomable mastery of the Buddhist faith would result in these phenomena.
"Amitabha, so High Buddha is visiting." The monk placed his palms together and bowed: "Please wait, this little monk will go inform the master." Having said that, the old monk left.
Li Qiye recalled his Buddhist aura and assumed his ordinary form. Nevertheless, he still gave off a sublime presence.
A bit later, the old monk came back and respectfully gestured with his palms once more while bowing: "High Buddha, the master will see you."
He then led the way for Li Qiye. Li Qiye followed with Wo Longxuan right behind him. She was quite curious about who Li Qiye wanted to meet.
A bit later, the monk led them to an arch entrance. He stood there without entering and gestured for Li Qiye to go inside.
The two of them stepped beneath the arch and found that there was a heavenly grotto inside. It was a place of nature, not an old building like one would imagine.
A great river ran before them with sparkling water. However, the sparkles here were not from the water, they were from the silver within. The entire river seemed to be full of silver as if it used to be in the nine heavens and had now fallen into the mortal world.
A woman was meditating on top of the river. The lotus below her was blossoming and emitted colorful rays that illuminated the depths of the river. Meanwhile, at the bottom of the river were countless visual phenomena, as if a supreme treasury was about to open.
She appeared to be over thirty and had an elegance that couldn't be described with the brush. Her style was supreme and accentuated her mature charm that would cause hearts to beat faster!
Wo Longxuan could be called a great beauty of the current generation; her features were kingdom-toppling. However, she was still lacking compared to the woman ahead.
She didn't recognize who the woman was, but if Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao were here, they would know right away. It was the Middle Continent Princess!
Outsiders would be astounded to find out about this. The princess was buried in the Heavenly Corpse Burial Ground as an Earth Immortal, yet she was able to make it out alive.
Without a doubt, the princess had chose the correct underworld boat back then and was successful in prolonging her life. As for how many years she was able to gain, this was not known.
Li Qiye secretly heaved a gentle sigh while looking at the princess sitting on the lotus with her unchanging appearance. After many years, some things still won't change. Even if they did, they would remain unforgettable.
It was a misunderstanding back then as well as an ill-fated turn of events. It began with him, so it should be ended by him.
Similar concept to dao heart. Daoism versus Buddhism. ↩