Chapter 1034: Beneficence Bodhisattva
Li Qiye glanced at the youth and told Wo Longxuan: "Go ahead and go back to train in peace. You won't be able to compete against the Mortal King in your current state."
Wo Longxuan bowed deeply towards him and said in a dignified fashion: "Words cannot express my gratitude for your kindness. You saved my life. I, Wo Longxuan, will definitely repay you. Just say the word when you need me or the dragon cliff in the future."
Li Qiye casually nodded. He didn't really pay it any mind since he wasn't expecting a reward from saving her. He had merely done so in passing.
She bid her farewell and left with her junior brother. Li Qiye slowly entered the Buddhist City afterward.
Li Qiye trod through this bustling city and saw people coming and going. He noticed all the civilians here were worshipping Buddhism and chanting Buddhist scriptures. This made him sigh with emotion.
"Di Shi… What will you bring to the ultimate battle in the future… There are billions of creatures here…" He lamented.
He felt the Buddhist rhythm in this place. This rhythm was all over the plateau because this was the largest congregation of monks, especially at Spirit Mountain and Nalanda.
However, Li Qiye knew that the plateau hadn’t become the sacred ground of Buddhism due to the number of monks.
"Evil Buddha is here." His arrival to the city caused quite a stir.
Today, he had received a new moniker — Evil Buddha! No one knew where this hair-keeping monk came from or what his identity was. However, they had seen his evil-subduing art, so they gave him this title!
"It's not just Evil Buddha, South Emperor came before him too." A knowledgeable person spoke.
Many people glanced at each other after hearing about South Emperor being here as well. Not too many had heard of this South Emperor before, but with just one battle, he amazed the world by fighting against the eighteen great vajras alone. His prestige had completely surpassed Jikong Wudi's group.
"Why is the plateau so strange this year? It is one thing that the geniuses gather here, but this devilish Evil Buddha comes out of nowhere and then this mysterious South Emperor. Evil Buddha and South Emperor simply render the younger generation out of breath." Someone murmured.
"No, South Emperor is not so mysterious. He is an Era Evader from the Mysterious Bamboo Mountain!" A paragon from the southern region knew his identity. To paragons from the previous generation, the title of South Emperor was not unfamiliar at all.
"An Era Evader? What is that?" A youth didn't know what it meant, so he asked his seniors.
A senior answered: "An Era Evader is a supreme genius. In order to avoid a great loss from competing for the Heaven's Will, they would seal themselves early and abandon their generation in order to wait for a different, more opportune one, to seize the Heaven's Will for the throne."
"South Emperor isn't an ordinary Era Evader. He was once the most brilliant genius of the bamboo mountain. For tens of millions of years, he is the only one to truly claim the moniker of South Emperor." The paragon who knew his identity continued: "Unfortunately, he was born in the wrong generation. Despite being so exceptional, he was in the same era as Empress Hong Tian. It was destined to be a disaster, so he chose to avoid that generation rather than compete with her to the end!"
"Competing against Empress Hong Tian for the Heaven's Will…" Anyone would quiver after hearing this. The paramount empress had always been praised by the world.
"Even the last Immortal Emperor of the bamboo mountain, Immortal Emperor Yin Tian, was only his junior." The paragon explained.
"No wonder why he is so heaven-defying." Anyone would be stunned after hearing this. A terrifying and unparalleled genius having to evade Empress Hong Tian's generation; they understood why he dared to challenge the eighteen vajras. It was because he absolutely had the power to do so.
After hearing the South Emperor's tales, not to mention others, even the Jikong Wudi's group of geniuses went quiet for a very long time. This South Emperor appearing out of nowhere brought tremendous pressure to them. Someone who had competed with the empress… No matter the time or place, this type of character was definitely invincible.
"An Evil Buddha and now an Era Evader." Heavenly Emperor Lin murmured to himself: "This generation will definitely be exciting. It seems like Senior Brother won't be lonely. He will finally have rivals to compare himself with."
Eventually, Li Qiye arrived before an old temple inside the city. It was not grand, only old from being around for too many years.
In the minds of the people living here, the doors of this temple had always been closed. They didn't know what kind of monks were training inside either.
He quietly stood in front of the temple, calming the indescribable tinge of emotions threatening to rise. For millions of years, groups of followers kept on leaving him. Very few were able to live until now.
Eventually, he gently sighed, not wishing to think about it any further. He turned around to leave.
"Click—" The shut doors suddenly opened. An old nun ran outside and placed her palms together then told Li Qiye: "Sacred Teacher, the Bodhisattva wishes to see you."
Li Qiye stopped and returned the gesture: "Please lead the way."
He followed the old nun into the temple. It was very quiet. Apart from the nun, there were no signs of anyone else. Time seemed to have stopped the moment he walked into this place. It was a realm apart from the mundane world. Everything was eternal here.
There was nothing besides muffled footsteps. The rowdiness of the outside world was far from this place.
Li Qiye told the old nun: "Let me bathe and light some incense before meeting the Beneficence Bodhisattva."
She had no objections and led him into a room so that he could wash himself and burn incense. After doing so, with a dignified yet natural expression, he followed the nun to see the Beneficence Bodhisattva.
Who was Li Qiye? He was someone who was indifferent even before Immortal Emperors. However, he was particularly solemn today. This showed the Beneficence Bodhisattva's special status in his heart.
The nun led him to a Buddhist building before leaving. He stood outside and calmed his emotions before entering.
Buddhist lights filled the building like flowing mercury to every inch and corner of this place. It gave off an indescribably mystical sensation.
There was a golden lotus in full bloom with a woman sitting on top of it. She was barefoot and had long hair flowing down her yellow dress. Her hands were forming mudras with an air of serenity. The peaceful and gentle rays coming from her body resembled the warm sunlight during winter. These hands would be incredibly gentle when caressing one's face.
She was a supreme beauty with a kingdom-toppling figure. However, she was now a Bodhisattva and had transformed in accordance with the Buddhist doctrine. Both her supreme face and figure were nothing more than a bag of skin in her eyes.
Li Qiye looked at this all-too-familiar woman ahead. He didn't say anything and sat down on a cushion.
Rumors were circulating in the Buddhist City that Spirit Mountain had sent a Bodhisattva here for protection. However, no one had seen this Bodhisattva before. This Bodhisattva was the one in the rumors. She was also an old friend of Li Qiye.
At this time, the Beneficence Bodhisattva opened her especially pretty eyes. One could easily imagine how enchanting she must have been before becoming a nun.
"You are finally here." The Beneficence Bodhisattva spoke. Her voice was still pleasant and gentle even after her transformation.
Li Qiye gently placed his palms together and revealed a dignified expression: "I didn't want to disturb your meditation."
"Let me look at your real body for a bit." The Beneficence Bodhisattva requested.
He wordlessly turned back into his true form and revealed the face of Li Qiye.
The Beneficence Bodhisattva carefully stared at him with her hands still performing mudras. She spoke: "Waking up one day to find millions of years have passed. Time lasts forever."
"You have been enlightened and can have eternal life in the future. Millions of years are but the blink of an eye to the Buddhist Funeral Plateau." Li Qiye gently spoke.
Her mudras continued to emit an overflowing Buddhist aura. She was still calm while talking about the past. Today, she was a Bodhisattva, a mortal no more.
She softly said: "I know you didn't fully agree with us joining the Buddhist faith."
Li Qiye gently shook his head: "No, this is something that you deserve. Back then, you personally led the legion to calm the era for me. During the tough times, you were next to me. With one writ of mine, you left several times to carry it out. No matter what it may be, you deserve everything."
"In the past, each life that followed me, every warrior whose blood washed the battlefield, they were all living beings…" The Bodhisattva spoke with her Buddhist rhythm. The past was now gone with the wind.
Long ago, she was the leader of one of the four great legions under Li Qiye. She went on several expeditions for him. From north to south, her illustrious fame was a great deterrence to everyone in the nine worlds.
Chapter 1035: Farewell Forever, Young Master
She remained calm while talking about the past and maintained her mudras: "I didn't join Buddhism and enter Spirit Mountain for eternal life. The only thing I want is peace in my heart."
"I know." Li Qiye nodded quietly: "War has always been cruel. If you can't even sleep well at night, I will always feel guilty. I am happy that you are able to find peace at the plateau."
"I chose to escape… I have let you down." She answered softly.
He shook his head in response: "No, you should have had a normal and happy life. This was all because of me, I was the one who brought you into a world of killing. It is full of fate, karma, and grievances. All of this should have been my responsibility, my hands were already stained with blood. I should have shouldered it all."
The Beneficence Bodhisattva slowly said: "Just let past causes and effects go."
Li Qiye smiled and said: "Just let it go. Leave it all to me, I will go to the very end at the final world where I shall have my answer."
The Bodhisattva didn't say anything from on top of her golden lotus. She was peaceful and distant for she had severed her ties with the mundane world.
"Today, this will be our last meeting, so I will tell you something." Eventually, she spoke: "The Buddhist Kingdom has a new Buddhist Lord."
Li Qiye was caught off guard: "This is actually surprising. There should only be two candidates for the new Buddhist Lord. One is the Radiant Bodhisattva and the other is you. If the new lord isn't one of you two, then who can it be?"
She replied: "I haven't been back to the kingdom so I haven't seen the new Buddhist Lord. I only received the message from there."
Li Qiye finally bowed his head then got up to leave. He walked very slowly with a solemn air. The Bodhisattva also quietly watched each of his steps.
"Farewell forever, Young Master…" She gave him one last look before closing her Buddhist eyes.
Li Qiye's heart fluttered. He finally turned back to look at her and imprinted her image into his memories while softly speaking: "Farewell forever, Zhan'er." 1
With that, he left the room and gently closed the doors.
Before he knew it, the corners of his eyes became a little wet. Time was insignificant; millions of years was only a blink of an eye. It felt as if it was just yesterday.
There had been many people by his side, but not many were with him for as long as the Beneficence Bodhisattva. No matter what, he still respected her choice. After generations of bloody battles, it wasn't easy and peaceful for her.
Throughout the eras, she had paid a great price. If she wanted eternal life, Li Qiye would have exerted all of his efforts to grant her her wish. However, everlastingness was not her wish, she only wanted peace of mind.
"Death is not the most painful thing. Only extrication would bring about peace." Li Qiye sighed softly after leaving the shrine.
He couldn't describe his current emotions. He had sent away many friends in the past. In his eyes, death was not the worst thing. The most insufferable emotion came from separation, especially seeing someone off that was still alive, only to never be able to meet each other again!
He transformed back into Chu Yuntian and blended in with the bustling streets of the Buddhist City.
There had been too much pain and separation in the past. He didn't want to look back, so he could only move forward on this long and winding path!
The Rainflower Terrace was a very famous inn at the Buddhist City. Many prominent cultivators would stay in this place after arriving.
Li Qiye quietly sat on the terrace and drank in silence. He watched the clouds in the sky and felt the wind. He was staying here to wait for Li Shuangyan's group because they had made plans. If the girls wanted to come to the plateau, he would stay at the Rainflower Terrace to wait for them.
Today, Evil Buddha was very famous, so when he was drinking by himself, many cultivators at the terrace looked at him from the distance. They quietly whispered about him. Of course, no one dared to disturb him.
It was a notorious title. One Buddhist phrase could cause the new young king of the Nantian Clan to commit suicide, so who would dare to come and talk to him recklessly? What if he started with a chant, then they wouldn't even realize how they died.
"Pop!" A stomp shattered the sky as a person arrived with a clear battle intent. His body emitted strings of lights carrying massive weight.
"The Jewel Pillar Mortal King is here." A few cultivators on the terrace shouted after seeing this person crushing the void.
His aggressive demeanor made it clear to many what he was here to do.
"Unbeatable War God! Never utters the word defeat!" His supporters couldn't help but loudly cheer.
Even his non-supporters nodded their heads and murmured: "The Mortal King indeed has the ability to compete for the Heaven's Will. He does not mind defeat and will stand up from where he fell. As long as he stays alive, there is always the hope of victory."
Supreme cultivation geniuses were quite vain and prideful. This was because this type of genius always had a smooth road and almost never tasted defeat. Therefore, their first defeat would easily become their inner demon. From then on, they wouldn't be able to get up again.
There were too many examples of this across the ages. Some supreme geniuses couldn't handle defeat and suicide became their ultimate end.
"The Mortal King will have a way to suppress Evil Buddha for sure this time." Another commented.
From his past records, others could tell that he would normally lose the first match, but he would reverse the tides on the second challenge and defeat the enemy.
At this time, he seemed to be full of confidence in challenging Evil Buddha, so everyone assumed that he had found a way to suppress him.
Li Qiye didn't even bother to look at the Mortal King. He continued to pour his own drink and gulped it up with a relaxed demeanor.
"Sir, come out and fight." The Mortal King stood outside of the terrace and shouted gravely. His voice was immense. Each resonating word was full of power. 2
At this second, he resembled a divine mountain — majestic and immovable. His pair of eyes were extremely sharp, capable of cutting the world apart. The aura that emanated from his body was a cause for fear.
Li Qiye slowly sipped his wine. Today, he was in no mood to play with a junior like the Mortal King.
The majority of the cultivators were holding their breaths anxiously in anticipation of this battle. However, they noticed that Evil Buddha was still calm and didn't even glance at the Mortal King. They looked at each other and felt that this Buddha was being too contemptuous.
The Mortal King's expression turned cold. Today, he was able to deter the world. No one dared to look down on him regardless of who they might be.
However, this Evil Buddha was too lazy to even look at him. This was even more humiliating than his defeat last time.
"Sir, do you dare to fight or not!" The king's voice was as sharp and cold as the edge of a blade.
Li Qiye simply ignored him. In his eyes, the king was an insect shouting at a behemoth. He was in no mood to listen.
"If the Sacred Teacher doesn't care for you, then go cool off to the side." A slightly languid voice came about. A person suddenly appeared in the sky.
"South Emperor…" The sudden emergence of this person caused people to cry out. Everyone inside and outside of the terrace was startled.
"Era Evader from Mysterious Bamboo." Anyone would tremble after seeing South Emperor.
Even the proud Mortal King's expression sank after seeing him. An Era Evader was not an empty title. The South Emperor had competed with the empress for the Heaven's Will before. Even Godkings would dread this existence no matter which generation it was.
The king looked at South Emperor. He took a deep breath and spoke with great momentum: "If Era Evader wants to give me some pointers, I am willing to test your supreme arts."
South Emperor glanced at him and said dismissively: "You? Wait until you are recognized by the Heaven's Will, then you can challenge me. RIght now, you are not qualified. The person behind you, on the other hand, is barely qualified to fight me."
This remark was uttered in such a plain and carefree manner that it made the king change his expression. Such blatant contempt was humiliating to a genius like him. In his mind, it was an intentional insult.
The king was determined and spoke solemnly: "I would like to see Era Evader's supreme arts!"
"I said, cool off." South Emperor didn't want to bother with the king. He casually reached out with his finger. However, this simple gesture crushed the stars in the sky.
The king was shocked at this oncoming finger strike. He shouted and wanted to use his strongest attack to stop it. However, he was too slow compared to this finger attack that soared across the sky.
"Bang!" The crowd watched as the Mortal King was blown away by a single finger.
"Boom!" People in the distance saw the king slam into a mountain. The impact shattered it while the king continued to fly before disappearing into the horizon.
Such a scene astounded everyone. The Mortal King was among the most outstanding talents in this generation. Even a Virtuous Paragon from the last generation would treat him with some respect. However, just one finger from South Emperor was able to push him thousands of miles away!
Zhan'er was a name he mentioned before; I think the ultimate universal law said Zhan'er as well. She must be a lover. ↩ "Sir" here is a respectful "you", but it is not quite at the "sir" level. It is more of a polite "you" of two people at the same level. It is interesting that if we still use the informal "thou", then "you" can be the formal version. But it seems like in modern usage, "thou" has the impression of being formal compared to "you". So if we were to be weird and use an archaic vernacular in the modern sense, "thou" would be appropriate here to show a higher level of respect. ↩Chapter 1036: South Emperor Seeking Guidance
The crowd took a deep breath from astonishment. They were quite perplexed by the gigantic gap between the two.
"How are people in the current generation going to compete for the Heaven's Will?" A powerful youth lost his confidence right away. The Mortal King was strong enough in the eyes of the younger generation, but he was not worth mentioning when it came to South Emperor.
"The word 'emperor' alone is enough to tell the tale. Not just anyone can claim to be an emperor!" Another murmured.
"That's an Era Evader for you." A paragon spoke: "If the current geniuses don't grow to the point where they are recognized by the Heaven's Will, they simply can't compete with him."
One person even went as far to say: "Is that an Emperor Assailant? To blow the War God away with just one finger, truly unstoppable."
Li Qiye didn't look twice at what was happening. He was still nonchalant in his own world.
South Emperor approached and sat in front of him. He smilingly said: "Let this junior drink with you in this busy mundane world."
With that, he casually flipped his palm and they instantly teleported away.
In the blink of an eye, the pavilion that Li Qiye was sitting on disappeared. Many people on top of the terrace looked over and realized that the South Emperor had teleported the entire building.
Somewhere in the southern region, there was a waterfall running with green pine trees everywhere as if it was a paradise.
At this time, the emperor took some of Li Qiye's wine and began to drink even faster than Li Qiye, as if he wanted to compete with him.
Li Qiye sat there in contemplation. After a while, his mind returned and he glanced at South Emperor who was gulping down cups of liquor.
"Little Guo, if you want to drink, go take out your imperial brew from your mountain, don't steal mine." Li Qiye said slowly.
South Emperor's name was Gu Guo. In the present times, no one knew his name and of course, no one would ever dare to call him "Little Guo". Even Immortal Emperor Yin Tian was his junior, so who at Mysterious Bamboo would dare to call him Little Guo?
South Emperor didn't really want to put the aged wine down. He felt the urge to pull on his hair with a suffering grimace.
"What's wrong, Little Guo." Li Qiye revealed a rare smile after looking at the emperor.
The emperor let go of his hair and waved his hands in front of Li Qiye: "I want to suicide, Sacred Teacher. You, you are pushing me to the edge right now."
"Pushing you to the edge? I don't think it has anything to do with me." Li Qiye looked at the fella and laughed.
South Emperor reluctantly explained: "Can I get any unluckier? At fifteen, I met Empress Hong Tian. Fine, I accepted defeat. I evaded one era and came out at twenty. Oh well, I met Immortal Emperor Bing Yu. I'll just attribute that to bad luck again, so I evaded another generation. At thirty, I made another debut only to meet Immortal Emperor Qian Li, so I hid again and finally came out now. My god, Sacred Teacher, you are personally doing it this time."
"Teacher, are you purposely doing this to ruin me? Empress Hong Tian was your direct student, Immortal Emperor Bing Yu was given a new fortune by you. And as for Immortal Emperor Qian Li, you were her dao protector!" South Emperor bitterly spoke: "Every time I come into being, I just happen to come by you. I should just buy a bunch of noodles so I can hang myself already."
South Emperor was indeed very unlucky. The first time he came out, he met Empress Hong Tian. Even the most brilliant geniuses would be finished, so he chose to run.
The second time, the Dark Crow granted a great fortune to the young Immortal Emperor Bing Yu. Others didn't know about the existence of the Dark Crow, but South Emperor did. This was because the second emperor of Mysterious Bamboo was groomed by the Dark Crow!
At a certain level, the Dark Crow granting a fortune was akin to determining Immortal Emperor Bing Yu's right to the Heaven's Will, so South Emperor hid again.
The third time was even worse. The Dark Crow personally became the dao protector of Immortal Emperor Qian Li. South Emperor knew better than everyone else that no one would be able to bar the Dark Crow's path. Thus, he evaded another generation.
This was his fourth time coming out, and worse turned to worst. The Dark Crow himself came out! Even if he was stronger, he wouldn't have the chance to become the Immortal Emperor.
Having to evade four generations was a kind of torture to South Emperor, enough to drive him crazy.
Li Qiye laughed and gently shook his head: "Little Guo, this has nothing to do with me. It is all about your inner demon." Li Qiye pointed at his heart: "If you don't come out from the shadow of Empress Hong Tian, how are you going to compete for the Heaven's Will?"
"Sacred Teacher is right, I do have a shadow looming in my heart." South Emperor bitterly smiled: "But this inner demon is not from losing to Empress Hong Tian, it is you, Sacred Teacher. I cannot defeat this inner demon, so when you take action, I can only retreat!"
Li Qiye chuckled and stated: "If that's the case, it isn't hard for you to defeat it. Just kill me, then it will no longer loom over your conscience."
"Sacred Teacher, please don't scare me." South Emperor shook his head: "Even if I wanted to, it wouldn't be my turn. I wouldn't be among the top ten of those who want to kill you, no, not even the top fifty. The number of giants across the ages that want you dead is too numerous to count."
South Emperor was very powerful and he went very far back. It could even be said that he was extremely close to being an Immortal Emperor. However, he knew himself very well. It was impossible for him to kill an existence like Li Qiye. Otherwise, the Dark Crow would have disappeared from this world long ago, there wouldn't be a need for him to take action.
He became quite sad at this point. He wanted to drink more aged wine to become drunk. Alas, he failed at this too.
"Sacred Teacher, I'm so sad right now." He said helplessly: "I have evaded four generations, should I do it again or just be satisfied with this one?"
Li Qiye smiled in response: "That depends on what you want. Your chance of becoming an emperor is greater than anyone else. If you give up this generation, there will be bigger opportunities later. Avoid me and you can definitely become emperor in the next generation."
He spoke forlornly: "Sigh, but I have given up on so many already."
Li Qiye replied: "Era Evading isn't anything to be ashamed of. Immortal Emperor Mu Zhuo, Di Yu, and Qing He all evaded eras. If you manage to evade four generations and come out in the fifth, then it can be considered a miracle. It is not your dao heart that is lacking, and the same is true for your talents. The only thing I can say is that your luck is quite bad."
"Sigh, this is why I'm sad, it's as if I was born to be hapless." The emperor smiled wryly: "Unlucky for four generations."
"Who told you to do so well in your youth? You nearly reached the Heaven's Will at fifteen years old, what more do you want? If we were to make a list of all the top geniuses across the ages, you definitely would be among the top ten. Consider this as a test from the heavens." Li Qiye laughed.
With a painful expression, he moaned: "It was indeed smooth early on, but do you need to torture me like this?"
"What do you think? Even though you are among the top ten geniuses, look at the list. How many of them actually had an easy life or peaceful ending?" Li Qiye shook his head: "The heavens granted you such great talents, so it has to harden your willpower first."
"Fine then, the old villainous heavens can continue to torture me." South Emperor complained before becoming serious: "Sacred Teacher, I came this time just to listen to your opinion."
Li Qiye looked at the guy and laughed: "Gu Guo, I know you are very arrogant. The truth is that you had a chance of becoming the Immortal Emperor, but you couldn't let go of your pride and were too reluctant to come ask me."
"I know." The emperor chuckled weakly: "I know that Sacred Teacher would remember old sentiments. If I asked you on my ancestor's behalf, you would become my dao protector. Just like you said before, I nearly reached the Heaven's Will at the age of fifteen, how could I not become arrogant? Even though the empress was more heaven-defying than me, in terms of our accomplishments at a young age and cultivation speed, she was not my match…"
"So, I couldn't resist my pride. I always thought that I could still become the emperor without relying on you. Sigh, who would have thought that I would have to evade one generation after another. It seems like you are right, I have to let go of all posturing to come and ask you!" South Emperor was very honest at this moment.
He didn't need to hide anything before an everlasting existence like Li Qiye. Moreover, as the Dark Crow, Li Qiye had always watched over their Mysterious Bamboo Mountain.
"You are right this time. In fact, even now, you could still become an Immortal Emperor without my help. However, due to your bad luck, you always chose the wrong generation." Li Qiye smiled.
South Emperor took a deep breath and solemnly asked: "Sacred Master, I have seen through the past. In this generation, I am sincerely asking you, should I evade this generation or go all out?"
"That depends." Li Qiye chuckled: "Do you want to live brilliantly for one generation, or do you only want to become an Immortal Emperor?"
"If you only want to become an emperor, then evade this era and you will definitely become one in the next after I leave. No one will be able to stop you. However, if you want to see this generation's brilliance, then go all out." Li Qiye looked at the emperor and said: "Remember, Immortal Emperor is only the beginning."
"I know that." South Emperor gently nodded: "Emperor is only the beginning. However, Sacred Teacher, if I can't become an emperor, how can I even talk about starting…"
"There is another choice." Li Qiye revealed a mysterious smile: "You don't need to become an Immortal Emperor since you can be an Immortal Monarch instead! This is another option."