Chapter 1028: South Emperor
Li Qiye went against the Three Grand Temples, causing strange visual phenomena to emerge. In just a moment, the mountain was filled with Buddhist lights and blooming golden lotuses. Golden Springs gushed out from the ground as well.
Buddhist hymns majestically echoed across the region as if a Buddhist Lord was about to come into being.
The temple fought hard against his challenge. A torrent of endless runes rushed out from above the temple. A single glance was enough for people to immediately know that an extraordinary Arhat or Bodhisattva had appeared.
Each of the temples here had their own great characters chanting and debating against him. A Buddhist world opened on this side of the land, causing the entire mountain to become quite holy.
"Amitabha…" More chants echoed as if countless Arhats were singing together. They wanted to use the supreme mantras to defeat Li Qiye.
As the chanting continued, a magnificent Buddhist rune emerged in the sky as if a Buddhist Lord himself was coming out to fight. He spewed out mantras and endless laws.
These supreme phenomenon would leave anyone speechless no matter how powerful they were. The image attracted many experts in the plateau. Amazing geniuses like Lin Tiandi all came to watch.
The worshipers outside were filled with reverence from seeing these images. They started prostrating and wouldn't get up. Some were in tears and shouted: "Merciful Buddha!"
In just a short time, the crowd was shocked to see Li Qiye challenging the Three Grand Temples. He defeated the Grand Earth Temple in a short time, so even geniuses like Jikong Wudi, Zhan Shi, and Lin Tiandi became serious.
Someone murmured: "I think only Immortal Emperors would dare to challenge the eighteen temples like this."
A particular expert who had been staying at the plateau for a long time spoke: "Judging by this phenomenon, it seems like the Grand Earth Temple sent out a Bodhisattva to debate against him. This is too amazing. In some legends, a Bodhisattva from this temple converted a God-Monarch with just one phrase. But now, the challenger defeated them in a debate, how heaven-defying is this?"
"A Bodhisattva from the Grand Earth Temple…" When this level of existence was brought up, even God-Monarchs felt dreadful: "This kind of dharmic existence… it is best to stay far away from them if you don't want to join Buddhism. After all, he only needs one mantra to convert you, to make you kneel on the ground and worship Buddha!"
"Is this the birth of a new Buddhist Lord?" Even the monks on the plateau came to watch because this phenomenon was too frightening.
"Amitabha." A monk placed his palms together and spoke: "To be able to debate at this level, this must be a sacred monk, or maybe even a Bodhisattva. Since he can defeat the Four Buddhas Temple's Eight-faced Radiant Bodhisattva, he can obtain enlightenment and ascend, enter Nalanda and then the Buddhist kingdom."
"The Buddhist kingdom is the real immortality of legend." Someone enviously spoke.
Everyone in the plateau ran over. The newly arriving monks started chanting as well. They were all in awe of the phenomenon.
Right now, no cultivators dared to step foot on Spirit Mountain due to the great Buddhist aura surging about. Even those with strong dao hearts could be converted to Buddhism!
"Extraordinary." While people were looking at the phenomenon, a youth appeared out of nowhere. His arrival immediately attracted a lot of attention.
His appearance came with an abundant ancient aura, as if he had lived for countless years. He did as he pleased with a free style. No matter where he stood, people would think that he was standing tall among the heavens. He is aura also gave the feeling that he was insurmountable. No matter how strong and heaven-defying one might be, they would feel unable to surpass this young man.
Zhan Shi, Jikong Wudi, and Lin Tiandi, all of their expressions changed the moment they spotted this youth.
It didn't matter if they recognized him or not. As supreme geniuses, they immediately knew that they had met a terrifying opponent. An existence comparable to a true dragon — matchless in all the eons!
"Let me come take a look at the era-famous Spirit Mountain." He laughed after seeing the supreme image on the mountain. With just one step, he instantly stood before the Four Buddhas Temple.
"Is he taking the Four Buddhas Temple on?" Many people rolled their eyes after seeing this.
This temple was the leader of the eighteen and directly below Nalanda. Even the most supreme of geniuses wouldn't dare to challenge it so carelessly.
Jikong Wudi was invincible enough. He attained an enlightened fruit, yet he still didn't dare to challenge the Four Buddhas Temple! Zhan Shi had a powerful dao heart. He challenged it, but only in a scripture hark and not in attainment or debates because he was not confident at all in these two.
The young man smiled and declared outside of the temple: "Monks of the temple, listen up. Today, I, South Emperor, have arrived to try your Grand Diamond Formation. Let your eighteen Vajras come out now."
Everyone could hear his soft-spoken words clearly for they carried the weight of gold.
"Challenging the Four Buddhas Temple with force?" The crowd glanced at each other. Some even turned silly after hearing this.
In fact, outside of the three trials, there was another one. It was something that people never used, a challenge via combat against the eighteen temples. No one wanted to use this method because it was well-known that the sacred monks in the temples were ridiculously strong.
Although Buddhism did not promote violence, the majority of these sacred monks were terrifying beyond imagination before their conversion. Some sacred monks used to be Godkings and others were Emperor Candidates. There was a legend that some sacred monks were actually True Gods before they converted…
Who would dare to challenge these powerful existences in force? These Godkings and Emperor Candidates had only become even more unfathomable after turning into Arhats and Bodhisattvas.
But now, this youth was not only challenging the temple, he was specifically aiming for the eighteen Grand Vajras. This made many people's hearts skip a beat.
"Four Buddhas Temple's eighteen Grand Vajras!" An ancestor who had been a devout worshipper of the plateau for a long time murmured: "These vajras are combat warriors. An arrogant Godking considered himself to be invincible and went inside the temple alone to fight against the eighteen vajras. In the end, he was captured alive."
"South Emperor…" A lot of people hadn't heard of this name, but they quivered inside. A person daring to proclaim himself an emperor. Outside of the foolish ignorant ones, those who dared to do so were definitely frightening.
This youth was definitely not an ignorant person, so he must belong to the latter.
"Amitabha, benefactor, please come inside." The Four Buddhas Temple was not afraid of this challenge. With a Buddhist chant, the entire temple lit up with a golden radiance with images of vajras inside.
"Good." The youth was very straightforward. He smiled and passed through the Buddhist gate.
The entire mountain shook after the youth made his entrance into the temple. Buddhist chants echoed across the entire plateau. A boundless Buddhist power pressed down on the entire sky. Under this endless energy, the plateau resembled a leaf in the middle of a torrential ocean. This power could crush the entire plateau at any time.
The people here were terrified. Many characters kneeled on the ground and didn't dare to get up. Even ancestor-level characters felt their knees give in and couldn't stand straight anymore.
Prior to this, the Buddhist aura at the plateau was very gentle and peaceful. No one had imagined the scene of Buddhists becoming angry. But now, with this suppressive power, they finally understood that Buddhism was not just peaceful. Once enraged, this power was no weaker than an imperial aura!
Someone murmured while aghast: "Vajras are emerging to subdue the demon, the Buddhist Lord has become angry!"
"How fun…" The battling youth continued to laugh inside the temple that no one could peer into.
"Amitabha…" A thunderous chant resounded. A Buddhist kingdom opened in the sky and eight races of deities came out while the vajras defended the temple.
"Deva, Naga, Yaksha, Gandharva, Asura, Garuda, Kinnara, and Mahoraga… The eight deities…" The crowd was petrified when they saw the deities protecting the temple.
"Just how powerful is the Four Buddhas Temple?" A God-Monarch quivered after seeing this.
In just a second, only silence could be found both on and off of Spirit Mountain. Both the temple and this youth named South Emperor were powerful to the point where people had no choice but to retreat.
"Fighting the Four Buddhas Temple with force… Legend states that Immortal Emperor Min Ren did so as well in his youth." An ancestor was lost in a daze while commenting.
"So tough, just who is this South Emperor?" Even the arrogant geniuses couldn't stay arrogant at this time.
Jikong Wudi and the other top geniuses were quiet as well. This person called South Emperor was too powerful. Some people even speculated that he was an Emperor Candidate that was only one step away from becoming an Emperor! Anyone would shiver after hearing the title of Emperor Candidate.
Chapter 1029: Challenging The Four Buddhas Temple
"Rumble!" No one could see the battle raging on inside the Four Buddhas Temple. However, one could tell its great intensity from the shaking of Spirit Mountain. Not too many people were able to affect the mountain to this level, but the youth was capable of this task.
Although the temple was protected by the eight deities and vajras, it still shook all the same, albeit to a lesser extent.
Many people gasped at this moment. Jikong Wudi's group was speechless and austere. Even if they were called invincible, they still didn't dare to challenge the Four Buddhas Temple, let alone call out the eighteen famous evil-subduing vajras!
"The Grand Heaven Temple lost." Someone shouted. While people were astonished by the South Emperor's invincibility, they had forgotten that Li Qiye was debating inside the other temple.
They all looked back and saw the Grand Heaven Temple turn listless. All of the phenomena that emerged disappeared without a trace at this moment.
Sure enough, Li Qiye and Wo Longxuan came out of the temple before everyone's eyes. He was still as carefree and nonchalant as always.
"Is the world turning crazy? Two invincible characters coming out on the same day. This guy just challenged the Three Grand Temples, Six Tribulation Temples, and the Eight Void Temples in one breath!" A spectator was dumbfounded.
Even the monks were terrified and had to murmur: "This is the coming of a new Buddhist Lord…"
"In less than a day, he defeated the sacred monks and even the Bodhisattvas from the holy temples. Just how great is his dharma?" Even those who didn't truly understand Buddhism were frightened quite a bit.
"It's fortunate that he isn't a cultivator or we'd be done for this generation. People like Jikong Wudi and Lin Tiandi are already oppressive enough. And now, this South Emperor came out of nowhere as well, what a desperate situation to be in." A young man stated: "At least this devil isn't gifted in both Buddhism and daoism, or else we'd just have to hang ourselves in shame."
Li Qiye exited the Grand Heaven Temple and looked at the eight deities as well as the vajras defending the Four Buddhas Temple: "This brat is coming out again. Sigh, he can't defeat his own inner demon or else he would still have a chance."
Wo Longxuan was astonished as well while she looked at the Four Buddhas Temple. She was a brilliant genius, but she wouldn't dare to challenge the temple like this.
Right now, this South Emperor that no one knew about dared to do so alone. Such a heaven-defying act was beyond words. She and her peers were overshadowed by this South Emperor.
"There is always a higher mountain and a better person." She spoke with a tinge of emotion.
Li Qiye smiled and slowly headed for the Four Buddhas Temple. She followed right after him, but he gently shook his head and said: "You should go down, there's no need to follow me."
"Why?" She frowned before revealing a smile capable of causing hundreds of flowers to bloom. Alas, no one was able to see it.
"I will be debating against the Eight-faced Radiant Bodhisattva at the Four Buddhas Temple. His affinity isn't something you can handle. Even if your dao heart is strong, the moment he finishes chanting part of a scripture, you will be converted and drowned in the endless Buddhist sea." He said dismissively.
After hearing this, she didn't refute and immediately left Spirit Mountain. Meanwhile, Li Qiye leisurely spoke: "It is time for the Nihility Temple to come out as well. I want to see if your Buddhist laws are boundless or if my dharma is invincible."
"Buzz!" As he was heading for the temple, the eight deities and vajra protecting it suddenly disappeared.
The mountain turned quiet again and no longer quaked while the Four Buddhas Temple remained unchanged at the top.
Many people realized it and murmured: "It's over…"
In just a second, all eyes turned to the Buddhist gate of Four Buddhas. They wanted to know who the victor of this supreme battle was.
Eventually, before the nervous crowd emerged a figure from the Buddhist gate of the Four Buddhas Temple. It was the young man called South Emperor. Although he appeared quite ragged at this time, he was still spirited as he slowly walked outside.
Countless people took deep breaths after seeing him still able to walk. Jikong Wudi's group was even more astonished. Some even took a step back.
"The eighteen great vajras lost… this, this is too heaven-defying." A monk didn't dare to believe his own eyes after seeing that the South Emperor was still alive and well.
Jikong Wudi's group all had ugly expressions on their faces. They knew that they had met a terrifying foe in this generation, one that would be very difficult to overcome.
Despite his sorry appearance, his overwhelming aura still suffocated and awed people.
He saw Li Qiye slowly walking by and walked to him instead of flying. In the blink of an eye, the two of them stood face to face. Everyone outside of Spirit Mountain held their breaths in anticipation.
One was an invincible user of the grand dao while the other had a boundless dharma. One was someone of this mundane world while the other was quite otherworldly. Despite coming from two different worlds, both of them were impressive all the same. 1
In the eyes of others, they were not too different from each other. Both were unbeatable in their own field. One was a peak cultivator while the other was a Buddhist sovereign.
Li Qiye smiled and performed a slight mudra. The South Emperor bowed his head and placed his palms together then respectfully spoke: "Sacred Teacher…"
Li Qiye nodded softly and didn't stop. He continued on towards the Four Buddhas Temple. The South Emperor descended Spirit Mountain and quickly disappeared into the horizon.
"Such an invincible character actually performed that grand gesture towards him." Many people were startled to see South Emperor acting so respectfully towards Li Qiye.
"Even though he trains in Buddhism, he is still incredibly accomplished. He can definitely fight against Bodhisattvas and Arhats as well as defeat the other temples." A monk had to comment: "It is natural to be called a Sacred Teacher by invincible existences when he is so accomplished. He can accept such a title without any shame."
The crowd felt that the monk's explanation made sense. A knowledgeable ancestor murmured: "If this young, haired practitioner can defeat the Four Buddhas Temple, then he might even become the new Buddhist Lord. Just think about it, out-debating the eighteen temples, I'm afraid this has never happened before in history!"
The crowd agreed with this ancestor. To be able to defeat the sacred monks and Bodhisattvas of the eighteen temples required a stunning attainment of the dharma. This guy could truly accept the title of Sacred Teacher, fully deserving it.
However, no one knew that the South Emperor called Li Qiye Sacred Master for a different reason, not because of his triumph over the temples.
There was another meaning to the title of Sacred Teacher. It alluded to him being the imperial teacher. Moreover, he was the most sacred among the imperial teachers.
The South Emperor respected Li Qiye as the dao teacher of Immortal Emperors while outsiders thought that it was referring to Li Qiye's boundless dharma.
Li Qiye went before the Four Buddhas Temple and gazed at it. He smiled before entering its Buddhist gate.
"Amitabha…" A monk immediately came to greet him. Behind this monk's head hung a Buddhist radiance. His entire body had transformed into Buddha. The dazzling light made others feel that he was no longer an existence of this world, that he was only one step away from the mythical eternal life.
This monk suddenly paused after he saw Li Qiye. He was frozen for a moment and his Buddhist light was affected as well, pulsing on and off.
The monk stabilized his Buddhist heart. He bowed and placed his palms together to say: "Amitabha, My Lord has reobtained your body, congratulations."
Li Qiye also returned the grand Buddhist gesture and bowed as well: "Blessings be with you, Zen Master Cheng. Zen Master is a foreigner now and no longer a follower of mine, there's no need for honorifics."
This monk ahead was once an invincible general under Li Qiye. Later on, when his lifespan was almost over, he entered the Buddhist faith at Spirit Mountain. He was converted by the Four Buddhas Temple and had severed his mundane ties.
Despite doing so, the Dark Crow was the supreme ruler of eons with a strong influence over his life. Meeting his old lord affected his Buddhist heart.
Li Qiye didn't want to disturb the monk's mind. He spewed out Buddhist mantras so that the monk's light could shine brightly again. That fluctuation from earlier was not a big deal, just a pebble dropping into a flowing stream or a mirror stained by a speck of dust. A gentle brush was enough to cleanse it.
"Praise be the Boundless Dharma…" The monk bowed his head. At this time, he had regained his piety and removed all of his ties to the past. He closed his eyes and spoke: "Thank you, Sacred Buddha, for enlightening me." 2
Li Qiye gently nodded his head and accepted the monk's gesture. In fact, for tens of millions of years, he had countless generals and wise sages under him. There were many among them who chose to join the Buddhist faith and entered Spirit Mountain in search of eternal life.
"I will be debating the Nihility Scripture with the Eight-faced Radiant Bodhisattva." Li Qiye told the monk with words as powerful as the dharma.
"Please, the Bodhisattva has been waiting." The monk quickly invited Li Qiye into the Hall of Great Strength.
Li Qiye went inside, feeling at ease. To him, this was the final battle at Spirit Mountain. After defeating this Bodhisattva, his next stop was the Nihility Temple!
This was Li Qiye's ultimate goal in this trip to the Buddhist Funeral Plateau. He aimed to use the dharma to defeat the group of monks at that temple!
Not too sure about this line. This would imply that daoism is the current model in this world which makes sense while Buddhism is a foreign dao. If I read this passage by itself, the author would be implying that Buddhism has its own world/realm. ↩ I'm very specific/literal on these honorifics just so that readers can distinguish the different titles too. The first part is just "Boundless Dharma", but I'm not sure if readers would get that it was a general phrase, not actually him praising Li Qiye, so I added "praise be". ↩Chapter 1030: Eight-faced Radiant Bodhisattva
After Li Qiye went inside the Four Buddhas Temple, everyone outside held their breaths and stared at it.
For countless people, this temple was the highest symbol in Spirit Mountain outside of Nalanda. It was unfathomable; some people said that there were four supreme stone Buddhas protecting it. They came from Nalanda's Buddhist kingdom!
Others also said that the Radiant Bodhisattva was infinitely close to being a Buddhist Lord. If Nalanda wanted to change its lord, then the Radiant Bodhisattva could definitely become the new lord.
"Dum—" The temple finally rang its bell. The Buddhist debate had begun!
Hearing this bell, many people's hearts slowed down by half a beat. An unbelievably tense atmosphere filled the area.
"Buzz!" It seemed as if this temple was opening the curtains of the Buddhist kingdom. A Buddhist radiance drowned the sky, completely different from the lights of the prior temples.
This light gently poured down in an incredibly bright and holy manner. Many people palpitated and wanted to drown themselves in the light.
In the blink of an eye, Jikong Wudi, Lin Tiandi, and even the ancestors were shocked.
"Back off, now!" They used their ultimate speed to quickly run away from Spirit Mountain. They chose to spectate from tens of millions of miles away. 1
"Eight-faced Radiant Bodhisattva!" An ancestor was aghast. He swung his sleeve and instantly swept all of his juniors inside for safety.
Many big shots reacted in time and ran away as well, acting as if they had encountered a plague!
Time seemed to have stopped at this moment. One could hear the sound of a blossoming flower. Above the Four Buddhas Temple were radiating Buddhist rays. Inside this light was the reflection of a figure.
It was a person dressed in white and shrouded in holy light. He had eight faces with sixteen eyes, capable of watching all the realms in this world. While seated on a supreme sacred lotus, it was clear that he had grasped myriad laws and controlled the universe — his appearance was white and void of imperfection.
He had his hair tied into a bun and a peerless Buddhist body. Although it was only a reflection, the moment it appeared, it gave others the illusion that even were the universe bigger, it would still be naught but a speck of dust. Before a Bodhisattva of this level, everything became insignificant.
This was a Bodhisattva. He didn't have a towering blood energy or an invincible divine aura. It could even be said that there was nothing on his body that connected him to the mundane world. Even his body that had completely converted to the Buddhist way didn't have the untouchable Buddhist aura that one would expect.
However, this existence that might not even know a single technique instilled fear in everyone.
"Amitabha…" A Buddhist chant resonated from the temple. Without a doubt, the debate had begun.
"Amitabha…" The entire Spirit Mountain echoed this chant. It even spread to the outside territories.
Many spectating cultivators were instantly converted after hearing this. They kneeled down and kowtowed while repeating the same Buddhist phrase. Buddhist lights emerged from their bodies.
At this moment, these cultivators had forgotten about the mundane world. In their eyes, there was only the boundless Buddhist sea. They simply wanted to drown in this warm and peaceful light. It was capable of making people forget everything!
One Buddhist chant to cross over — this was not just empty talk! The Bodhisattva's true body hadn't even come out and the crowd had only seen its Buddhist light, but with just one word, countless cultivators had already been converted. The ones with weaker dao hearts were now lost in Buddhism with no way to return!
"Run!" Some experts started to frantically run away from the area affected by the Buddhist power.
Among them, some couldn't persevere any longer. They flopped to the ground and started prostrating and chanting: "Praise be to merciful Buddha."
Their bodies started to emit Buddhist lights as well. Many couldn't escape this level of mass conversion, only the stronger ones with unyielding dao hearts were able to hastily escape Spirit Mountain and make it out of the affected area.
For this group who made it out, they were still more or less affected. Some of their dao hearts had even collapsed completely.
"Ah!" Despite managing to get away, a cultivator felt a Buddhist light surging from his body. He instantly shattered his physical body and ran away with his true fate. The Bodhisattva's Buddhist affinity affected them too much. These escapees all fled the Buddhist Funeral Plateau in fear that they would be converted sooner or later!
The geniuses and ancestors who were the first to run were frightened by this scene. This was a different power than brute force, a frightening power that caused others to tremble.
For many people, Godkings were definitely scary because they could destroy the world and flip over the stars! However, they finally learned of a terrifying power outside of cultivation.
Without using a single technique, the shadow and words of this Radiant Bodhisattva were able to change so many cultivators, and he might not even have the most basic dao foundation. What was more horrifying than this?
"Eight-faced Radiant Bodhisattva!" Those who were watching from far away felt apprehensive while looking at this ethereal Buddhist figure.
"The person closest to being a Buddhist Lord! Capable of converting people with just one word." The many monks that were still in the plateau all prostrated before the Bodhisattva.
"Radiant Bodhisattva…" Even Zhan Shi who had entered the Four Buddhas Temple for his scripture hark felt his heart skip a beat. He looked at the holy and peaceful Bodhisattva and felt fear: "If he was the one who read the scripture to me, I would have been converted after just one page."
No one dared to mock him after hearing this. Zhan Shi came out unscathed after listening to one scripture preached by four sacred monks. His dao heart was as firm as a rock. Not too many people would claim to have more determination than him.
But now, even he admitted his powerlessness. Other people naturally felt even more dreadful inside.
"One word to convert a Godking — maybe this isn't a fabrication. I think it might actually be true." An expert was in a daze for a very long time and murmured: "Legend states that the Radiant Bodhisattva was born at the plateau and was protected by the Buddhist Lord since birth. He entered Spirit Mountain at eight years old, became a vajra at fourteen years old, and a Bodhisattva at sixteen. He is praised to be the Bodhisattva closest to being a Buddhist Lord!"
"Although the Bodhisattva has never cultivated a merit law before and only read Buddhist scriptures since childhood, even Immortal Emperors viewed him with respect." An ancestor looked at the figure above the temple with awe.
After hearing this, many people were astounded. Even Immortal Emperors respected him — just how frightening was this? At such a level, it didn't matter whether they cultivated or had any fighting power at all.
"There is a rumor that after Immortal Emperor Yin Tian carried the Heaven's Will, he entered Spirit Mountain to listen to the Radiant Bodhisattva's scripture sermon. After he left the mountain, he told all of his generals that none of them were allowed to meet the Bodhisattva." A demon ancestor from the southern region explained: "The emperor said that even though the Bodhisattva didn't know a single technique, Godkings were only specks of dust before him."
"That… that is too heaven-defying…" A youth was shocked to hear this. For them, Godkings were invincible enough, but they were mere specks of dust before the Bodhisattva? These words were too unnerving.
At this point, they couldn't help but stare at the temple. Many people didn't expect Li Qiye to challenge the Radiant Bodhisattva.
"He is too confident. Entering the Four Buddhas Temple and instantly challenging the Eight-faced Radiant Bodhisattva who has the greatest dharma. Just what level has that young man reached?" A person commented with emotions.
The truth was that not too many people expected Li Qiye to challenge the Bodhisattva right away. Those who knew about the Bodhisattva were aware of just how close he was to being a Buddhist Lord.
Challenging this existence was nearly the same as challenging someone infinitely close to being a Buddhist Lord.
"Can he win?" Another youth whispered. For the cultivators here, Buddhism was not their world. A dharmic battle like this was a realm outside the scope of their understanding.
"I don't know." Even the older generation and ancestors who knew about the dharma didn't know. They only shook their heads: "If we're talking about force, then it is possible to defeat the Radiant Bodhisattva. After all, he only trains in the dharma. However, to defeat him in a scripture debate… To be frank, outside of the Buddhist Lord in the Buddhist kingdom, I can't imagine someone else who can reach this step."
I've made this note a few times before, but ED's author often uses the numbering system as an adjective for a great amount. Ten million is the raw number, but who knows if he means it literally or figuratively. ↩