Chapter 1021: Love Or Hate
"Really?" She coldly stared at him. Judging by her expression, she didn't seem to believe him.
"Believe me." Li Qiye calmly said: "I have to end everything before the great war. I went to the corpse burial ground to find you to let you know about the matters of Chu Yuntian back then. I knew that you would have the drive to leave the burial ground alive after finding out the truth."
"Hmph." The princess scowled and coldly responded: "It sounds like everything is as you have planned."
"But you still came to the ferry." Li Qiye looked at her: "After finding out about Chu Yuntian, you tried your best to the leave the burial ground. I want to conclude our matters in this generation, so at the underworld river, I left one boat for you. Aren't you alive and well right now after leaving?"
She only stared at him quietly, as if she was not yet appeased by his words. Or perhaps, Li Qiye hadn't convinced her just yet.
"Are you sure you didn't come here for this silver river?" The princess spoke coldly while staring at him.
"If you still think so, then all I can say is sorry, you don't get me at all. In your eyes, I am only a stranger, a contemptible liar." He dully said: "If you think everything was just a plan of mine to obtain the silver river, then so be it. The mistake was mine back then, I'll pay you back!" He lost interest and turned around to leave.
"Stop right there!" The princess shouted after seeing him wanting to leave. However, Li Qiye ignored her and continued on.
"Chu Yuntian! Stop, you can't forget everything that you said in those letters!" She shouted loudly: "What did you promise me! Don't tell me you have forgotten! You said that you would protect me forever, where is this promise now?!"
Li Qiye stopped and turned back to slowly look at her before speaking dismissively: "I did promise that, but it is difficult to find someone who can match you now. You don't need my protection any longer."
The princess coldly responded: "It's not over between us! Don't think that just because you picked the underworld boat for me, our matter is resolved!"
Li Qiye calmly replied after a short pause: "I know that I lied to you and made you waste your whole life. All of this started because of me…"
"You put it so lightly." The princess replied: "Do you know what I have been through? In order to find out the truth, I traveled all around the nine worlds in the shadow of the Ancient Ming and opposed them and everyone else. I only wanted an answer, the resting place of Chu Yuntian! For this, I didn't care about antagonizing anyone…"
"I know." Li Qiye flatly said: "So, I kept my promise. Without people secretly helping you, do you think you could have gotten away unscathed from Immortal Emperor Tian Tu?"
"It was you?" The princess' eyes narrowed while staring at Li Qiye.
"It doesn't matter who it was. I just wanted to say that I kept my promise." Li Qiye calmly spoke: "If you still think that this was all part of my plan to obtain this silver river, then all I can say is that I'm very disappointed."
He looked straight at her and said: "Yes, I am a liar who tricked you. However, if you say that I created a plan that required hurting you in order to obtain this silver river, then your words truly are insulting my intelligence!"
"Hmph, you have always been a liar." The princess scowled, but at this time, her act was much weaker than before. It was not as cold and aggressive as earlier. Without a doubt, she felt that she couldn't posture much longer due to a lack of logic.
"Yes, I am just a liar in your mind." Li Qiye heaved a sigh and didn't want to say anything else.
The princess took a deep breath. She looked up and stared at him with a cold expression once more: "How did you find this place?"
"It wasn't hard for me." Li Qiye flatly revealed: "After your Middle Continent Kingdom was destroyed, the old elders escaped and converted to Buddhism. I knew that your ancestors already had a path of escape. Your progenitor simply didn't bring this silver river into the dynasty and instead left it here from the beginning." Li Qiye looked at the princess' cold eyes straight on: "If I truly wanted this river, I wouldn't have needed to wait till today! Back during the Ancient Ming Era, this item was indeed a very good card, but even without it, I could still destroy the Ancient Ming! And I'm always true to my words!"
This time, the princess didn't want to meet his gaze. With her still-icy demeanor, she casted her eyes downward without saying anything.
Li Qiye eventually took out the Yin Yang Immortal Mirror and placed it on the ground: "I am excited for you being able to prolong your life and come into being. Since you have made it this far, this treasure should return to its owner."
The princess coldly said: "You think it will end just like this, this is your repayment?"
Li Qiye gently shook his head: "No, this is only to show my sincerity. Just say the word and I'll make it up to you."
"What will you do to compensate?" The princess asked with an icy glare.
He turned silent for a moment. He knew very well that the princess didn't want any treasures!
In the end, she chillingly spoke: "It's not over between us!"
He looked at her emotionless demeanor and nodded: "Very well, if you want to get even, I won't hide. I trust that you will be able to leave this place very soon. I'll be waiting at the Buddhist Funeral Plateau for you."
"Hmph." The princess only scowled. Who knows if she was feeling hatred or something else.
Eventually, he turned and walked away. He didn't get too far before he turned around and looked at her with an austere expression: "My name is Li Qiye, not Chu Yuntian. Of course, if you want to find Chu Yuntian to get even, then Chu Yuntian will still be waiting for you!" With that, he finally left.
The princess watched his departing shadow and was quiet for a long time. A while later, she beckoned and the mirror fell into her hand. She sighed at Li Qiye's departure and murmured quietly: "Fate…" 1
After leaving the temple, Wo Longxuan stuck to Li Qiye again as if she was his tail.
He couldn't help but leer at her: "You are still the tyrant of an entire region, why are you following behind my butt?"
At this point, Wo Longxuan was quite calm, as if she had copied Li Qiye's demeanor: "The great path is long with all kinds of people walking on different sides. Why are you saying that I am following you?"
Li Qiye looked at her with one eye and threatened: "Girl, do you think I won't throw you into a terrifying evil den that even you would never be able to come out from?"
"Do it, throw me in then." Wo Longxuan shrewdly postured with both hands on her thin waist while arching her towering fair breasts.
Li Qiye saw this and was too lazy to retort. He turned around and kept on going.
Wo Longxuan hastily gave chase and walked with him shoulder to shoulder: "What's wrong? Not having a good day? Who was that woman earlier? Your dao companion or girlfriend? You guys had a fight?"
The gossipy soul of the dragon cliff's sect master was burning right now. She was as inquisitive as a little kid, asking questions all the time.
Li Qiye ignored her and continued on while she didn't give up and followed him step by step.
"Okay, we won't talk about that, how about we change the subject?" Wo Longxuan said: "Tell me a little bit about you. What sect are you from? How come I've never heard of the name Chu Yuntian before?"
Li Qiye gave her a look and said: "Girl, what do you want to know?"
She tilted her head. Her appearance was actually kind of cute, no longer resembling an untouchable genius or a high-powered tyrant of a region. She smiled: "I want to know your background."
If it wasn't for her face being hidden, one could definitely see her beautiful flower-like smile.
"Not telling." Li Qiye dismissively replied and went on his way.
Her mood was particularly good. She copied his demeanor and leisurely said: "Then how about we talk about the dwellers from the deep?"
"You want to know about your mystical bloodline then." Li Qiye looked at her again with an unfriendly demeanor.
"That's right." She didn't hide it at all: "Just like you said, our cliff knows very little about the ancient bloodline, so please enlighten me."
"That's not out of the question." Li Qiye relaxingly spoke: "But what can you give me?"
"What do you want?" She was not long-winded and went straight to the point.
Li Qiye looked at her and answered: "To tell the truth, your cliff doesn't have that many items that can tempt me, despite being an ancient lineage that consisted of ancient sea dwellers. Your ancestors did bring along a few good things, but it's a shame that almost all of them are lost. What little is left of your resources might be tradable, but I'm not necessarily interested in them."
This is a contextual localization. The words 冤家 here is a bit strange to translate to English. "Enemy / foe / (in opera) sweetheart or destined love" — these are the official translations. As you can see, none of these makes sense in the context. In this usage, she is using it to say that Li Qiye is an ill-fated or star-crossed person to her. The most common usage of this word in Chinese is to describe a pair of lovers. They bicker with an unstable relationship for both internal and external reasons; however, they would always be intertwined due to fate and karma. It is also a declaration of love or feelings, especially when the princess is the one saying it, showing that he is "connected" to her. Perhaps there is a suitable word that carries the same sentiment in English and fits this situation, let me know if you have one. ↩Chapter 1022: Bai Jianzhen
"You…" She couldn't help but grumpily stare at him. The Sleeping Dragon Cliff was an ancient and great sect in the Northern Grand Sea with immense resources and power. However, Li Qiye made it sound as if it wasn't worth a single coin.
"However." Li Qiye revealed a rare grin while looking at her to leisurely say: "If you become my bed-warmer, I can think about teaching you a little bit."
"Less daydreaming." She glared at him and spoke with great dissatisfaction.
Li Qiye shrugged: "This is you giving up on a godsent opportunity." He walked faster after saying so.
Wo Longxuan had no intention of giving up. She hastily followed and asked: "Where are we going to now?"
Li Qiye didn't answer and continued on. She didn't mind and was right on his tail with a confident expression as if she was getting what she wanted.
Eventually, Li Qiye came before a huge temple and stopped to look at it.
There were many worshippers in front of the temple. Some were prostrating on the ground, others were converting to Buddhism, and a few were kneeling and kowtowing nine times to pay their respects. A group inside were offering incense. The more pious ones kneeled for a very long time with the intent of seeing a high monk…
There was no lack of cultivators among them. In general, cultivators did not worship Buddhism, but things were different at the plateau. The weaker cultivators would be affected by the area and turn silly after staying here for a long time. They were affected by the Buddhist affinity in the air and would slowly give up everything to convert to Buddhism.
In this place, their best choice for conversion was the Nalanda Temple or the other eighteen temples under Nalanda, otherwise known as the four grand void tribulations. 1
Not to mention Nalanda, even the other eighteen temples were exceedingly difficult to enter. Even if one was a peerless genius or a powerful Godking, they would still find this endeavor challenging. Without certain accomplishments on the dao of Buddhism, the temples would not let them inside.
However, if this was an impossible affair, then there were many other choices at the plateau due to the large quantity of temples. Thus, many chose to train in the other temples before attempting to join the eighteen so that they would show some improvement.
"What are we doing?" Wo Longxuan asked after seeing Li Qiye entering this temple.
"Scripture debate." Li Qiye laughed as his Buddhist aura filled the air. His entire body immediately changed as if he had become an accomplished high monk.
Afterward, Li Qiye traveled to many temples. He chose famous and nameless ones on the plateau. After entering, he debated with the monks in these temples. However, rather than calling it a debate, it was more of him preaching. Whenever he was listening to a Buddhist sermon or having a debate, he would often ask a difficult question that the other monks couldn't answer.
It could be said that he convincingly defeated them with just one phrase. They candidly admitted their defeat and accepted his superiority in this aspect.
Wo Longxuan, who was following him the entire time, was quite shocked. It was not only because he only needed one word or one phrase to defeat his opponents. The scarier part was that all of his words and actions were meticulously in tune with the perfect Buddhist laws.
It was just like he said before, he was Buddha. His words were Buddha's words! This was a very unnerving spectacle.
One word to become a law — this was beyond imagination. There had been legends of holy monks turning into Arhats and Bodhisattvas once they reached the highest level. This group was capable of preaching laws with their words as well. However, in her eyes, Li Qiye was most likely far above these Arhats and Bodhisattvas!
His actions puzzled her quite a bit. Could it be that this Chu Yuntian ahead was a real monk? Perhaps he really wanted to obtain enlightenment in the Buddhist dao.
However, her intuition was telling her that this matter was not so simple.
After Li Qiye continued on his visit to these temples, her puzzlement turned into astonishment. The whole journey was also a great trial for her because Li Qiye's Buddhist affinity was becoming more and more powerful. It had a great impact on her dao foundation.
Even though he was not purposely doing so, her close proximity left her feeling this great power of conversion despite his attempt of containing it. She had no choice but to protect her dao foundation with great caution. Otherwise, this Buddhist affinity would infiltrate her like mercury that could reach all corners and nooks!
This made her even more determined to stay by his side. In her eyes, Li Qiye was a very big test. He was a sharpening stone; his powerful Buddhist affinity could polish her dao foundation.
As a contemporary expert and a highly talented genius, Wo Longxue was able to protect her dao foundation. However, this was not necessarily the case for other people.
In recent days, Li Qiye's travels to the great temples made it so that his Buddhist affinity was affecting many worshipers, especially the mortals and cultivators who wanted to convert to Buddhism. Under this influence, they actually became his believers and followed him wherever he went.
Even when Li Qiye didn't preach to them or pass down any dharmic teachings, they were still converted by his aura. The number of followers increased continuously.
"Buddhism… this is far too scary." Wo Longxuan was startled to see this. Even before any preaching, Li Qiye was already able to gain so many followers. This type of power could only be described as demonic.
"If this wasn't the case, how do you think the Buddhist Funeral Plateau came to be?" Li Qiye chuckled: "Buddhism has a far-reaching power. This is the difference between Buddhism and Daoism!"
Wo Longxuan pondered for a moment. Buddhism was not cultivation. However, after reaching a certain level, especially one that resembles Li Qiye's, the words of Buddhists would turn into laws. This was much more terrifying than what cultivators could do, even those at the Virtuous Paragon level.
As they went on their way, many more experts and even paragons were present. Some of them were from famous imperial lineages.
Of course, this type of crowd didn't come to worship Buddhism. Their presence, however, made this prosperous plateau even more lively.
The arrival of these big shots caused many speculations to surface. The cultivators from the smaller sects didn't know why they were here.
"I heard a Buddhist kingdom is about to open. Some Godkings will want to go on the pilgrimage." This rumor was spread across the plateau.
A little bird told the crowd: "It is not the opening of a Buddhist kingdom, it is someone ascending, a great holy monk. As long as he ascends, the Buddhist kingdom will naturally open. For many cultivators, even untouchable Virtuous Paragons, to be able to watch an ascension with their own eyes is a great fortune. There are many other benefits entailed with watching this event as well!"
"Ascension…" Many cultivators who wanted to convert to Buddhism felt their hearts beating faster.
One of them spoke: "Rumor has it that when a holy monk is ascending, they will cast everything away. At that time, someone who obtains the teachings and legacy of the holy monk would definitely be able to attain enlightenment in Buddhism."
Many speculations spread across the plateau. The ascension made even more cultivators pour into this area because they all wanted the legacy just like in the legends.
The majority of the younger generation came to the plateau in these last several days. The most brilliant among them were the Jewel Pillar Mortal King with the moniker of War Fanatic, Deity Jikong Wudi, and Zhan Shi from the western wasteland!
The Mortal King had the greatest limelight with an unstoppable momentum at this moment. He once again defeated Wo Longxuan, making him even more famous. Some even said that he was already above Jikong Wudi or at least on the same level as him.
In fact, more and more people came to the plateau in droves besides this group. Among them were other brilliant geniuses.
Bai Jianzhen was one of them. She came without great fanfare or a domineering pomp. It was just her and the sword in her embrace. Her sword energy wasn't soaring and her demeanor wasn't cold and murderous. She changed quite a lot compared to the past.
She had returned to the origin. Just like her name, she walked calmly and naturally as someone who was one with the world and myriad laws. 2
"Bai Jianzhen is here." Someone exclaimed after seeing her entering the plateau. It brought about quite a stir.
"The greatest sword user in the contemporary!" Even a Virtuous Paragon from the previous generation had to concede this point.
Someone speculated after seeing her: "Why is she here? I think even the holy monk's legacy shouldn't be enough for her to come here from the western wasteland."
"Maybe it is because of Zhan Shi." A cultivator from the western region added: "Her feud with Zhan Shi is not over. She lost to him last time, so maybe she wants to challenge him again."
"That could be true." Another spoke: "They fought twice. Zhan Shi lost the first time and won the second. But now, her dao of the sword is invincible, so she will definitely challenge him again!"
"If that is the case, then she will probably win." A big shot murmured: "Her dao of the sword has reached grand completion and can be described as invincible. Even the Mortal King doesn't dare to challenge her."
"Hmph, who says the War God doesn't dare to challenge Bai Jianzhen?!" His words made the Mortal King's supporters quite unhappy. 3
This part is confusing to me because I remember in an older chapter, it said that the eighteen temples weren't under Nalanda. I'm not sure what the four grand void tribulations are either. This part might have to be changed when we get more information. ↩ Jianzhen = Truth of the Sword or True Sword. ↩ For some reason, I do enjoy the battles between these geniuses. It won't be all about Li Qiye for now? ↩Chapter 1023: Bing Yuxia
The king currently had many followers and admirers. Some even said that his entourage was even bigger than Jikong Wudi's.
The reason was very simple — it was due to the difference between the two. Jikong Wudi was a supreme genius who came from the Space Trample Mountain. In addition to his triple saint aptitudes, he was destined for greatness. It gave him the ultimate advantage.
In the eyes of many, he was the descendant of an Immortal Emperor with a golden spoon in his mouth upon birth. He was not in the same world as ordinary cultivators.
The Mortal King was different since he came from the Jewel Pillar Sacred School. Though the school was a great power, it was far lesser than an imperial lineage. The king's talents during his younger years were much weaker than Jikong Wudi's as well.
With an ordinary background and ordinary talents, the king won some and lost some to eventually became famous across the world. Now, he was on the same level as the unmatched group of Jikong Wudi, Mei Suyao, and Heavenly Emperor Lin.
In the eyes of many people, the king came from humble beginnings and was very similar to them. Perhaps one day, through sheer effort, they would be able to reach his level and fame as well.
This was the reason why he had so much support from the community. In their minds, the Mortal King was the War God who would definitely become an Immortal Emperor in the future.
So now, when someone else claimed that he didn't dare to challenge Bai Jianzhen, this naturally made his supporters unhappy and immediately defend him.
Not everyone found the Mortal King pleasant. Moreover, Bai Jianzhen was very brilliant at this moment as the number one sword user. To top it off, she was quite pretty as well. All of this resulted in her having a lot of fans.
"Hmph, War God? That's only a self-proclaimed title. It is fine if you call him War Fanatic though." A Bai Jianzhen fan immediately sneered: "The Mortal King might have a fine battle record, but it was built upon many defeats. If he had died in any of those battles, he wouldn't have the same accomplishments today. The only reason he is still alive is due to his backing."
"And?" A Mortal King supporter fired back: "Bai Jianzhen might be strong, but she is still much weaker compared to the War God. Their record is two to one in favor of the War God right now. This is indicative of the War God's superiority."
The Mortal King had fought Bai Jianzhen three times. He was the challenger for the first two bouts and had won both.
Bai Jianzhen's admirer smiled sarcastically: "Really now? Yes, Sword Goddess Bai lost twice before, but don't forget that on the third duel, her dao of the sword reached the limit and crushed your War God until he had to muster all of his strength just to escape like a baby sucking on his mother's breasts. He was being chased so hard that he almost had to hang himself and commit suicide out of fear…"
"… If someone didn't come to save him, would your so-called War God still be alive? Hehehe, he would have become a pile of bones, a dead soul under Sword Goddess Bai's sword!"
"You!" This made the king's admirer turn ugly.
After losing twice to the Mortal King, Bai Jianzhen challenged him later on with all of her might. Under her rage, she was able to exert the limit of the sword dao. It was simply a display from a berserk god. Even the experienced Mortal King couldn't match her.
That duel was the most miserable defeat the Mortal King had suffered. He was covered in injuries after being completely defeated by Bai Jianzhen. He ran for countless miles while she chased right behind and trapped him into a corner. Eventually, someone secretly rescued the king successfully.
No one dared to underestimate Bai Jianzhen after this battle. They even called her the number one sword user!
Someone saw her carrying her sword and speculated: "I wonder if Sword Goddess Bai will challenge Zhan Shi at the plateau this time."
Zhan Shi, a peerless genius, came from the Rampaging Divine Mountain of the western Desolate Wasteland. Bai Jianzhen, on the other hand, came from the Sword God Sacred Ground in the same region as well.
As the saying goes, a mountain does not have room for two tigers. Zhan Shi had challenged Bai Jianzhen before. He lost the first time and won the second.
However, Bai Jianzhen's dao of the sword is now untouchable. Her Supreme Sword Dao was a source of dread for just about anyone. Thus, many people guessed that she would challenge Zhan Shi to wash away the shame of defeat from the past.
A big shot from the last generation stated: "Zhan Shi is going to the Four Buddhas Temple. I heard he wants to challenge the Buddhist law over there and use his dao foundation to withstand its power of conversion!"
"So strong, to dare to challenge the Buddhist law in that temple. I'm afraid even Jikong Wudi wouldn't dare to do so." Such news startled many people.
"Zhan Shi is different, he is on a different path than Jikong Wudi." Another big shot from the western region who knew about Zhan Shi spoke.
He analyzed the situation: "Zhan Shi is following the footsteps of Immortal Emperor Bu Zhan. One step, one battle; he's taking his time with each step while building a solid dao foundation and sturdy dao heart! He is not aspiring to be strongest in the same generation but rather to be unbeatable after each battle as the last man standing. Among the current youths, Zhan Shi is perhaps the one with the lowest cultivation. However, with respect to perseverance in a bloody battle, Zhan Shi will be the ultimate victor."
"Zhan Shi's endurance, Bai Jianzhen's dao of the sword, Jikong Wudi's supreme nature, the Jewel Pillar Mortal King's love for war, and Heavenly Emperor Lin's astonishing talents…" A talented youth with a high status helplessly spoke: "To be in the same generation as them is truly a tragedy. This is a time where devilish talents could be found everywhere, regular geniuses are as numerous as dogs and simply not worth mentioning."
"Don't forget about the Icy Feather Palace Master." A cultivator from the Hundred Cities interjected.
"Bing Yuxia is coming too?" Someone else was surprised: "She's someone who isn't afraid of messing with anyone."
"Right…" The eastern cultivator arched his chin and said: "Look over there, that's her coming."
Having heard that, many people turned around. They saw a divine chariot slowly approaching. There was a pretty young man sitting on it. No, it was a supreme woman cross-dressing as a man!
Who else could it be besides Bing Yuxia? She was surrounded by beauties at the moment. One in her embrace and a few more charming ones sitting next to her.
Witnessing Bing Yuxia being adored by so many beauties on her chariot left people envious and others speechless.
She had become the palace master of Icy Feather, but she was still unbridled. It was well known that she liked the fairer-sex, it wasn't a secret at all.
"Palace Master Bing, long time no see." When Bing Yuxia arrived, a transcendently pure aura emerged as well, heralding the emergence of a cool and elegant character. He seemed to be from a different world. An air of intelligence characterized him, so he appeared to be a scholar more than a cultivator.
Someone recognized him and exclaimed: "Heavenly Emperor Lin is here too!"
The person accompanied by this pure energy was the most famous genius in the southern region referred to as the number one of the Barren Earth, Heavenly Emperor Lin!
"So you are that Lin guy." Bing Yuxia only gave him a quick glance since her focus was still on the beauties next to her. She leisurely spoke: "You already had a good name, yet you still claim to be a Heavenly Emperor. That's not a good omen." Bing Yuxia's arrogance was famous. She acted like this no matter who she was speaking to. 1
"Palace Master Bing is messing with me." Heavenly Emperor Lin did not become angry. He gallantly laughed in response: "This is only a title given to me by others, a title that can't reach the apex."
"So? Do you want to fight? I heard the Buddhist Funeral Plateau has been very lively recently, I don't mind adding on to the fun." The untethered woman was full of arrogance.
"They're about to fight?" A spectator became excited after hearing this and murmured: "The fourth fight, I wonder who will win."
"I bet my money on the palace master." Someone immediately placed their bet.
Another followed suit: "My money is on Lin Tiandi. He recently came to the Godwar Mountain and had a huge harvest which puts him at a great advantage."
Prior to this, the two had fought three times. The first was a draw. The second was Bing Yuxia's defeat while Heavenly Emperor Lin lost the third.
This meeting could be said to be between two rivals. Another battle would definitely cause the crowd to heat up with excitement.
"Geniuses are everywhere right now, my insignificant dao can't reach the apex or enter your sight." The heavenly emperor didn't become angry. He gently shook his head and said: "Among the younger generation, I'm afraid Li Qiye is the number one. There's no need to show off my weak cultivation."
"Li Qiye…" Everyone glanced at each other in astonishment after hearing the emperor praising Li Qiye this much.
"I know that this jerk would come back to shock the world." Bing Yuxia smiled after hearing this all-too-familiar name. Despite dressing like a guy, her smile was still incredibly enchanting and caused many hearts to beat faster.
"Good, you still have some good insight." She looked at the emperor to say: "That Li guy is even more powerful than your imagination."
"To be praised like this by you, he must definitely be unfathomable." The emperor nodded and said: "I have some business to attend to so I must set off first, see you later." With that, he flew away with his boundless pure energy.
No matter what, Heavenly Emperor Lin's charm was truly unmatched. He didn't have the domineering style like other geniuses. His temperament was unique and made him appear out of the ordinary.
Author explicitly stated that Tiandi is a title with this sentence now, so it is Heavenly Emperor Lin. ↩Chapter 1024: Spirit Mountain
Li Qiye traveled across the plateau and entered numerous temples to debate against the high monks. Despite the countless temples located here, he couldn't find a match. No matter how great the monks were, they would be stumped the moment he spoke one or two Buddhist sentences or revealed a mudra.
His visits to the temples made him gain many followers. Wherever he went, a large group of followers consisting of both cultivators and mortals would be right behind him.
When he walked around, spectators from the distance saw this and couldn't help but point at him: "Which high monk is that? To have so many followers…"
"So young yet they have such high attainments in Buddhism. This is truly incredible, maybe he can join Nalanda." An expert commented with a tinge of emotion.
After being uncontested through all the temples, Li Qiye's Buddhist affinity was at the highest level. At this time, he didn't have any holy radiance or spouted mantras, each of his actions was affecting the rhythm of the entire plateau. Just like he said before, he was Buddha.
"We'll go to Spirit Mountain." Eventually, he told Wo Longxuan who was following right behind him.
She was still shrouded in black so no one could see her true appearance. She couldn't help but look back at the followers and asked: "What about them? They're coming as well?"
She had been witnessing the power of Buddhism in these last couple of days. Once they were converted, they would act completely different, as if they were lost in a dream.
Just looking at the followers behind her made it apparent. They didn't know who Chu Yuntian was, but after listening to his scripture debates and dharmic preachings, they immediately joined him to become his devout worshipers.
They had different expressions; some were peaceful, some were dazed, and some were unchanged. There was one similarity despite the variety of expressions — a fanatic level of certainty!
At this time, Li Qiye placed his palms together vertically and shouted: "The dharma is boundless, repentance is salvation!" 1
His shout resonated like thunder. It was an awakening like a bowl of cold water being poured down on one's head or a thunderclap resounding in one's mind.
In this split second, the Buddhist seal in the minds of these followers set off many ripples that affected their soul. They were all roused and became clear-headed again. Some looked around and one even asked: "Where is this place?"
It resembled a group of drunkards turning sober; they were completely unaware of their location. At this moment, they were at a loss.
Wo Longxuan took a deep breath and even felt a chill running down her spine. Cultivators had a name for this — possession.
Entering the Buddhist mindset at the plateau was just another kind of "possession". Once entranced, they would be mesmerized and forget all else while indulging in a Buddhist rhythm, bringing about peace of mind and a firm conviction.
After waking up the crowd, Li Qiye only smiled and left, leaving behind the confused followers that didn't know where to go.
Wo Longxuan calmed down and quickly caught up to him. She walked shoulder to shoulder with him and had to ask: "Was that the dharma?"
"Of course." Li Qiye chuckled and flatly said: "The doctrine says, the dharma is boundless, repentance is salvation! Once they enter this boundless state, they would travel forever within the boundless dharma if a high monk doesn't give them an answer."
She exclaimed: "This is a demonic art!" She was not a closed-minded person. Prior to this, she had a very positive view regarding Buddhism — peace, kindness, equality. However, after coming to the plateau and seeing Li Qiye's peerless dharma, she felt a bit creeped out.
Because of this, whenever he debated against the high monks, she didn't dare to linger nearby as she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to protect her dao heart and would fall into the boundless dharma like the other followers.
"One thought to become Buddha, one thought to become Devil. Don't forget, this is the Buddhist Funeral Plateau." Li Qiye leisurely smiled: "Even if you don't believe in Buddhism, you will more or less be affected after staying in this place for a while."
She looked at him and asked: "What about you? Are you affected?"
Of course she knew about the effect of the plateau during a long-term stay. Because of this, many would only stay here for one or two years before leaving.
In fact, a huge group had been affected by it before. Even extraordinary Godkings who stayed here for long felt the urge to convert to Buddhism.
"Me?" Li Qiye unhurriedly answered while his Buddhist affinity continued to spread: "I am Buddha. I am the one affecting the plateau, not the other way around."
She contemplated quietly. These words were not empty and meaningless. She was a bit shaken and wondered if this Chu Yuntian had been a Buddhist believer and practiced this doctrine since a young age.
"Why is it that Buddhism in the plateau is different? Why is it so much stronger compared to other locations? High monks have a much greater influence here. Is there a secret? Is it because of Nalanda?" She unleashed a barrage of questions.
In fact, she was not the only person who had these questions. Many had thought about why the power of the Buddhist faith was greatly amplified in the plateau.
In the nine worlds, there had been many Buddhist temples. However, no place was like the Buddhist Funeral Plateau in terms of its influence.
"It's a secret and always will be. If a secret can be easily found out by others, then it would no longer be a secret." Li Qiye laughed and continued onward.
"Forget it then." She snorted and went after him. In her eyes, it was not only the plateau hiding a secret, this person named Chu Yuntian was hiding something as well.
Eventually, the two reached the most important location of the plateau, the most sacred area with the name Spirit Mountain. This remained true for all the Buddhists in the nine worlds.
A mountain does not need to be high; the presence of Buddha alone makes it divine. This phrase was very appropriate when used to describe Spirit Mountain.
There were countless tall peaks at the plateau. Some even reached far into the sky with stars surrounding it. Spirit Mountain was not small, but when compared to the other great peaks, it was definitely not a match.
However, this fair-sized mountain was very famous. Millions of believers kneeled with numerous high monks chanting at its base.
Spirit Mountain, the most sacred location in the plateau where the Nalanda Temple was located!
While staring at the mountain, one would find flashing Buddhist radiances everywhere. Even those who were very far away could see them no matter the time of day. They still flashed and illuminated this world.
It was as if Spirit Mountain was upholding this area for the Buddhist Funeral Plateau. No matter the time and place, its Buddhist light was eternal and burned bright even during the darkest era.
The temples built on its adjacent hills were sacred and majestic. There were holy monks chanting above while being protected by heavenly dragons. Arhats and Bodhisattvas were performing sermons. The entire mountain seemed to be a celestial kingdom, away from the mundane world and the maddening crowd.
Anyone would have the urge to prostrate while standing at the base of this mountain. They would want to bow every three steps or to forever prostrate before its grandeur!
Because of this, there were countless followers kneeling right outside. There were mortals, cultivators, and even rulers. Even famous Virtuous Paragons could be found here!
In this place, whether one was a mortal or a paragon was no longer important. All sentient beings were equal before Buddha!
Outside of Nalanda, there were also eighteen temples referred to as the four grand Void Tribulations. They were different from the other temples at the plateau; they belonged to Nalanda. In this vast plateau, only these eighteen were recognized by Nalanda.
The four Grand Void Tribulations were the Four Buddhas Temple, the Three Grand Temples, the Six Tribulation Temples, and the Eight Void Temples. 2
The Four Buddhas Temple had the highest status outside of Nalanda and was the most mysterious and powerful.
The Three Grand Temples were directly below the Four Buddhas Temple. They were divided into the Grand Heaven Temple, the Grand Earth Temple, and the Grand Mortal Temple. These three were almost on the same level as Nalanda and Four Buddhas.
The Six Tribulation Temples was a level below them. They consisted of the Deity Tribulation Temple, the Saint Tribulation Temple, the Sage Tribulation Temple, the Mortal Tribulation Temple…
The Eight Void Temples were next. They were made up of the Zen Void Temple, the Comprehension Void Temple, the Capability Void Temple, the Heart Void Temple… 3
These eighteen temples right below Nalanda were full of golden lights. Inside were Buddhist hymns and phenomena of great Buddhist existences. Before one knew it, they would find themselves in a kingdom of Buddhism.
As for the eminent Nalanda Temple, it was built at the peak of Spirit Mountain. It was also dazzling with radiance. However, its gates were closed so no one could see inside.
Just a common Buddhist saying. ↩ Four Buddhas is just one. 1 + 3 + 6 + 8 = 18 ↩ Some of these names might not be accurate because they have multiple esoteric meanings. The author would have to go in depth so I can distinguish them in English. For example, heart/mind/thought is the same word. The translation is usually contextual. ↩