Chapter 1116: Hard To Say
After a long silence while looking at the emptiness, Chen Baojiao, who was standing next to him, asked softly: "Can they do it, can they reach the other shore?"
"I don't know. We can only pray for their safe arrival." Li Qiye withdrew his gaze and gently sighed.
Li Shuangyan comforted: "Don't worry, they can definitely reach the other shore. The millions of heroic soldiers could sweep through the world with nothing able to stand in their way."
Li Qiye only smiled wryly after hearing her encouragement: "I hope so."
The Expedition Path was a road full of the unknown. The success rate might depend on one’s strength or it might play no part at all. There was even a chance that different people would find different things on the path and find different things on the other side…
They had to be the ones to find the answer since no one was privy to the path's ultimate end.
"Both the path and the platform are just eternal mysteries, like the underworld itself." Even Bu Lianxiang lamented. She didn't comfort Li Qiye with words, but she did hold his hand tightly.
Her words made the girls even more curious, so they stared at her for a bit. This was because Bu Lianxiang back then boarded the underworld boat. Her presence today meant that she had successfully prolonged her life. The girls were curious about what she saw after boarding the boat.
There were many legends about the boats flowing along the underworld river. Some believed that the river ended at the deepest location of the earth, flowing to the underworld palace of hell. However, some also thought that it was a path to the immortal world. Only the immortal world could prolong someone's life…
Regardless of the final destination, the girls were curious all the same. They knew very well that Bu Lianxiang was the only person who prolonged her life. Of course, the last sect master of the Thousand Emperors Gate also did the same, but he was now dead.
"Don't look at me." Bu Lianxiang gently shook her head: "I can't explain a few things clearly. You have to personally experience it."
"Certain things aren't necessarily real even though you are seeing it, especially regarding the underworld boats." Li Qiye smiled.
"Is there really an underworld?" Even so, Chen Baojiao still asked because she had seen with her own eyes the wonders in the sky at the underworld river back then. They became questions buried in her heart.
Li Qiye only smiled at her question. Bai Jianzhen was curious as well because she saw Bu Lianxiang at the Heavenly Corpse Burial Ground too.
Bu Lianxiang shook her head gently: "I can't give you an answer to this question. The underworld boat didn't go to a hellish palace, or at least mine didn't. Perhaps only those who gain an entirely new life would be able to reach the very end of the river unlike the others."
"I heard War God Mu lived for another generation." Mei Suyao became interested about this mystery. She glanced over at Li Qiye.
In fact, Li Shuangyan and the others also did. Back then, Li Qiye chose the boat for the War God Temple's ancestor and the princess. It was likely he was the one who understood the underworld the most.
Li Qiye smiled wryly at the excited girls. He gently shook his head: "Don't look at me either, I also don't know. Or rather, no one really knows about this. War God Mu indeed lived for another generation, but he never talked to anyone about it after returning. Who knows what he saw there, not even his disciples are privy to this."
The girls were a bit disappointed after hearing this. Back then, there were too many unsolved mysteries at the burial ground.
"Alright, let's go." Li Qiye took one last glimpse at the expanse. The heroic legions had disappeared into the void already.
The girls turned around and left first. They wanted to let Li Qiye and Bu Lianxiang stay together, so they went in front. Bu Lianxiang and Li Qiye were holding each other's hands. She looked at the girls and slowly asked: "You still haven't told them?"
"Tell them what?" Li Qiye revealed a faint smile before sighing: "Some things are better left unknown. Plus, it is not certain that they will have to face it eventually. They are different from us; we are old monsters that have lived from one generation to the next. They are still young and in the spring of their youth. They might not need to face the darkness in this world."
"Unlike you who have been enduring the darkest aspects of this world from the Desolate Era to the Ancient Ming Era and even to the present day." Bu Lianxiang looked at him and softly said: "There are things you are still burying in your heart, things that you are reluctant to share with others."
"One could say that it is one of my missions." Li Qiye sighed once more: "This is the price of immortality. Others do not need to bear this burden or even know about it. The world is full of unimaginable darkness, not everyone needs to face it. It is better for them to think that this world is one of light."
Bu Lianxiang didn't know how to respond while looking at this man beside her. After millions of years, he had learned too many things. Some cursed him as a murderer, the evil hand behind the curtains, a bloodthirsty maniac.
However, since the ancient eras and especially during the extremely grim Ancient Ming Era, without his struggles, just how long would it have taken for this era to end? He had always been facing the darkness alone, the true burden his alone.
Li Qiye looked at her and gently said: "If you are willing, I can help you live for another generation. I have the power and the means to do so this time. I have absolute confidence in being able to make my way to the end of the underworld river."
"There's no need to do so." She sighed and shook her head: "To live for another lifetime might sound wonderful, but I know that there is a price one must pay to obtain this. People who have done so are unwilling to talk about their experience. There's no need to think any further, I can faintly guess what I will have to face." She held his hand intensely and spoke with gravity: "Personally, I feel that I have lived long enough. Living for one or ten more generations won't make a difference. It is meaningful and worthwhile enough to be by your side, even if it is only for a short time."
"Plus, right now, I still have at least several centuries or even a thousand years more." She continued: "This is an ample amount of time for me."
"Several centuries…" He repeated. For cultivators, centuries or even a thousand years was not a long time, but it was enough for Bu Lianxiang.
She looked at him deeply and said: "Once the Heaven's Will appears, I will send you off on your journey and then stay here waiting for that day to come. That is all I want."
She spoke very softly in a gentle manner. However, each word carried a lot of weight. They seemed to be engraving themselves straight into his heart.
"I will stay and protect the nine worlds until the last day of my life." She spoke softly: "Or rather, I will leave something behind for you in this world. Regardless of the passing years and the outcome in the future, your traces will be eternal here."
"That day will come." He answered with a sense of helplessness in his heart. Regardless of how powerful one might be or how long they lived, there were always some things that would make them feel helpless.
"I have no regrets today." She spoke sincerely: "Although I will not be able to see that day, I believe that you will be able to succeed because my man has never failed before. No matter the era or the opponent, my man will be the man laughing in the end!"
"Yes, I will be the last one smiling when I return triumphantly one day!" He solemnly said: "You will be able to see that day."
"I will definitely see it regardless of whether I am still in this world or not." She held his hand tighter: "But that doesn't matter. Just know that I am very happy and content right now."
The two held hands and continued forward in silence. Li Qiye couldn't express his feelings at this moment.
Chapter 1117: Meeting Little Autumn Again
Li Qiye and the girls came to the boundary between the Imperial Border and the Devil World. They were standing next to a lake and watching its calm waters.
Chen Baojiao asked: "What are we here for?"
"We're going to the Nihility Temple." Li Qiye answered calmly.
"Nihility Temple?" Li Shuangyan was a bit startled: "The temple that Little Autumn always talked about? I thought it was located in this realm."
"You can say that it is both in the lesser world yet not." He smiled and threw the Buddhist lotus into the lake.
"Burble! Glop! Burble!" Once it was thrown in the water, the calm lake suddenly boiled. The water whirled around like boiling water.
Li Qiye jumped onto the lotus and told the girls: "Come, this will lead us to the highest point in this world, the Nihility Temple."
The girls jumped onto the lotus without any hesitation.
"Splashhh!" The unimaginable happened. A huge whirlpool appeared on the lake's surface and sucked everything inside, including Li Qiye and the others on the lotus flower.
The girls were looking around during the swallowing process. It was swirling quite fast, but not a single drop of water touched them. It seemed that this lake was sucking them into another world.
This scene was truly too magical and bizarre. The girls didn't know that this lotus had such a use.
After a while, the girls heard a crashing sound. The water rose again and the swirling water keeping their lotus afloat became tranquil.
They found themselves in the middle of the lake again. If it wasn't for the different scenery, they would have thought that they didn't move at all and were still at the same lake as before.
Li Qiye took a quick glance around and said: "We're here."
The girls observed their surroundings. There was a medium-sized mountain in front of them, but it gave off quite an incredible feeling, as if it encompassed all the spirit energy and Buddhist affinity in this world. The mountain itself had a layer of zen and the most profound and complex dharma.
This was a seemingly ordinary yet completely extraordinary mountain. It didn't have towering Buddhist lights or an extraordinary presence. However, it had the appearance of being washed by countless years. It resembled a meditating Buddha that had been freed from the withering of time.
There was an old and small temple at the top. No one knew when it was built since it was too archaic to make out any discernible clues.
Those with sharp eyes would be able to see a plaque at the entrance. It looked like it was about to fall down and had the words "Nihility Temple" written on it.
The words were almost too faint to see. They had been baptized by the endless time and faded into blurriness.
While looking at this wondrous temple, Bai Jianzhen became cautious and asked: "What kind of temple is Nihility? How does it compare to the eighteen temples on Spirit Mountain?"
"The eighteen temples cannot compare to it at all." Li Qiye noticed her vigilance and slowly explained: "All the monks here right now are retired Buddhist Lords."
"These monks were all Buddhist Lords from the Buddhist Kingdom?" The girls were frightened after hearing this.
Just think about it, the Eight-faced Radiant Bodhisattva was enough to scare Godkings. Just what kind of existences are these Buddhist Lords then?
This seemingly inconspicuous old temple had monks who used to be Buddhist Lords. Just how frightening was this?
Li Shuangyan took a deep breath and murmured: "This Nihility Temple is too scary."
"The most dreadful part about it is not the monks inside." Li Qiye flatly said: "However, it is indeed quite scary. For generations now, countless Godkings and True Gods have fallen inside."
"According to the legends, Immortal Emperor Fei Yang and Immortal Emperor Hao Hai have been here as well." Mei Suyao had a serious and respectful expression on her face while looking at the temple.
"Yes, both of those emperors have been here before." Li Qiye nodded: "Back then, Immortal Emperor Fei Yang only arrived due to trickery while Immortal Emperor Hao Hai was more forceful. However, Immortal Emperor Hao Hai didn't seize any advantages and had to leave in the end using all of his might. After leaving, he never entered the Buddhist Funeral Plateau again for the rest of his life."
The girls were amazed after hearing this. Even Immortal Emperors couldn't do anything to the Nihility Temple.
Li Qiye got off the lotus while looking at the mountain. The girls were right behind him. All of them, including Mei Suyao and Bai Jianzhen, looked quite serious.
If there was a most difficult fight in one's life, then this absolutely frightening situation ahead could be it. Even Mei Suyao felt nervous and greatly uncertain.
"Damn bald and stinky donkeys, get the hell out here. Stop hiding in your lair!" Before the group made it to the base of the mountain, they could hear some cursing coming from the distance.
"Stinky donkeys, do you hear me or not? Are you all deaf?" This incessant cursing didn't stop and instead became increasingly louder and more vulgar: "Asses, listen to your uncle well. I want to dismantle and burn down your crappy temple!"
The girls glanced at each other, especially Li Shuangyan and Chen Baojiao. The two of them found this voice very familiar.
Li Qiye, on the other hand, smiled wryly and shook his head. He knew who was swearing.
Sure enough, on top of a boulder at the foot of the mountain was a worm. To be more accurate, it was a little dragon with a body full of glittering golden light. It radiated waves of lights and had a very sacred appearance. Others would think that it would transform into a golden dragon and fly into the nine heavens.
However, who would have thought that this worm that resembled a dragon would have such an abusive foul mouth? It completely contradicted its holy appearance.
After cursing for a while, it seemed to grow tired and rested on the boulder instead.
"Don't tell me you have been cursing this whole time?" Li Qiye smilingly asked while looking at the fella lying on the boulder.
The little guy heard Li Qiye's voice and looked over. It was ecstatic to see the group and lunged forward: "Boss, Little Autumn knew you would personally come here! With your presence, you will meet god, slay god, meet devil, slay devil and kill all the bald donkeys in there!"
Li Qiye slapped the chest on the worm's back and scolded with a smile: "Okay, Little Autumn, stop sucking up."
Ever since it received the fortune at the World Tree, it underwent a great transformation and was turning into a dragon.
"Hehe, Boss and everyone is here now. I can rest assured this time. We should attack that broken temple together and burn everything down." After seeing that his backing was here, Little Autumn turned quite bold and let out a cocky laugh.
"How did you get here?" Chen Baojiao was very curious. It seemed that Little Autumn had been here for a long time even before the opening of the lesser world.
It was full of hot air as it declared with great confidence: "Hehehe, little girl, look again and see how amazing I am. As a natural divine dragon, is there a place that I cannot reach among the nine heavens and ten earths as well as myriad realms?"
"Less boasting!" Li Qiye laughed and kicked it flying: "The Eight-faced Radiant Bodhisattva told me that you have been using my name to intimidate others?" 1
After being found out by Li Qiye, the worm let out an awkward laugh and said: "Boss, you should at least give me a little face. Even though those bald donkeys are ignoring me and letting me do as I please, I did rely on my own ability to come here. If I didn't have such peerless abilities, how could I have come to this place?"
Little Autumn was right about this. Even though its secret arrival was due to the tacit consent of Spirit Mountain, it wouldn't have been able to get here without its ability to travel.
"Alright, I know how amazing you are." Li Qiye looked at it with one eye and said: "Why don't you go in then?"
The raw would be — you have been using my name like a fox exploiting the tiger's might. This does sound a little weird and too formal. Idioms are so common in China that it has become part of normal conversations, so they sound less contrived in many scenarios versus the concise English meaning. ↩Chapter 1118: Nihility Temple
"Ah—" Little Autumn forced out a laugh after hearing this. It arched out its chest to put on an awe-inspiring front: "Boss, this little one has never been afraid of anything. Meet god, slay god; meet devil, slay devil. However, in the nine heavens and ten earths, who is more impressive and mighty than Boss? Little Autumn was waiting here to see you knock the teeth out of those monks. Otherwise, I would have burned this place down to the ground long ago…"
The worm declared with great valor, as if it would do something like that. The girls could only smile at the obvious boasting.
"Alright, stop!" Li Qiye slapped it directly this time and teasingly scolded: "If you are really that strong, then I command you right now to bring that broken pot here."
This really scared the worm into quivering several times. Its neck shrunk while it smiled awkwardly: "Oh, oh, Boss, I was just kidding, just kidding. Please don't think I was serious. I am only a servant without any ability or courage. How can I be capable enough to go grab that pot?"
"This matter as grand as the heavens needs Boss to personally take care of it. In the nine worlds and myriad realms, no one but you can take that pot, not even Immortal Emperors." He didn't stop sweetening up Li Qiye.
Despite the incessant flattery, these words had their truth. If the thing inside could be taken so easily, an Immortal Emperor would have done so already.
Li Qiye angrily glared at him and said: "Well stop uttering so much nonsense. Be good and stay here for me, stop causing trouble."
Little Autumn's skin was thick to the extreme. It cheerfully smiled without blushing at all. Of course, if Li Qiye told him to scold and curse at the base of the mountain, it would be happy to do so as if it was its unquestionable duty. However, to tell it to kill its way into the Nihility Temple? It knew its own strength very well.
It had suffered in the temple before. Without Li Qiye's help, it would have been trapped inside until now, so it knew just how frightening the temple was. Because of this, after arriving, it could only curse at the base of the mountain while not daring to go in at all.
"All the monks in the temple, listen well! My Boss, the tyrant of the nine heavens, the person who will reign over this era, his venerableness has arrived today! This is an honor for your broken temple, so hurry and come to greet him…"
Little Autumn was playing the fox borrowing the tiger's might. It stood below the mountain and boldly yelled at the temple with great arrogance. An uninformed person would think that it was a villain that recently came across some success.
"No one will think you are mute even if you speak less." Li Qiye seemed to enjoy slapping the fella.
Little Autumn cheerfully laughed and said: "I am adding to Boss's prestige, to let the old monks know that you are here."
Li Qiye shook his head and smilingly scolded: "You are underestimating them too much. Even if they didn't leave the temple, they would still know who is coming. Whether in this place or even in the entire Buddhist Funeral Plateau, how many things can elude their Buddhist eyes?"
Little Autumn couldn't refute this claim. It obediently shut up since it knew how terrifying these monks from the past were. In fact, the monks here were even scarier than before.
Li Qiye glanced at the peak and solemnly reminded the girls: "Everyone, stay here. Do not take half a step onto the peak or it will bring about a disaster. Once you are in the process of being converted by the dharma, I won't be able to shift my focus to save you."
The girls glanced at each other. They had seen the horrifying power of conversion back at Spirit Mountain. If these monks were all retired Buddhist Lords, then one could easily imagine how mighty they would be. Their ability of conversion must be even stronger than Spirit Mountain's.
"I'll come along and open a path for you!" Bu Lianxiang quickly said after seeing Li Qiye wanting to go up.
In the group, she was the only one who was qualified to say this. She was the strongest, and even Godkings had to show her some sensibility.
However, Li Qiye denied her: "No, this isn't a place that can be solved by force. It is actually the most unwise thing to do." With that, Li Qiye seriously looked at her to say: "If force could be of use here, then there wouldn't have been a need to wait until today, and it wouldn't be my turn either since Immortal Emperor Fei Yang would have done it back then."
"We will be facing ourselves, our greed and desires, not opponents." Li Qiye smiled: "This requires me to fight by myself instead of borrowing external forces."
She looked at him and eventually nodded her head: "Be careful. If it looks bad, retreat right away."
Li Qiye smiled and went up the mountain. Little Autumn also shouted while watching: "Young Noble, be careful, never listen to that broken pot!"
Even though Little Autumn normally loved to brag and was a bit unreliable, it was more serious than anyone else when it came to big events. Plus, it knew what Li Qiye was about to face, so it became worried for him too.
Li Qiye didn't look back or say anything. He slowly climbed up the mountain. There was no need for him to turn around or say anything, the others just needed to wait for his triumphant return.
Little Autumn looked at the girls after Li Qiye entered the temple and said: "We should move back a little bit, it is about to begin."
The girls followed the worm to a safe distance before stopping. At this moment, everyone was watching the temple, full of worries. Little Autumn was the same; it kept pacing back and forth.
Its goal was different from Li Qiye's. Li Qiye came here for the Space Scripture while it was only here to vent its anger. Back then, its master died in the Nihility Temple, which was why it was swearing right outside of it. Even though it knew that this had no effect on the temple, it did so to feel better.
Li Qiye entered the temple. There was no majestic gold and jade or carvings of dragons and phoenixes. The entire temple could be easily described by the word "ancient."
One monk with his palms placed together came to lead the way for Li Qiye. His hair and eyebrows were all white while he himself had a friendly demeanor. Who would ever be able to imagine that such a monk used to be the Buddhist Lord of the Buddhist Kingdom with a matchless dharma?
The monk didn't ask Li Qiye anything. Just like Li Qiye said before, nothing could escape their eyes. Even without asking, they knew what he was here to do and what he wanted.
Li Qiye stood quietly in the main hall and looked around. There was nothing else here, not even a Buddhist statue. Nevertheless, he kept on gazing as if something extremely beautiful was attracting his eyes.
He stood there for a long time while the old monk waited as well with the same pose. He didn't bother Li Qiye by saying anything.
After a while, Li Qiye stopped looking and asked the old monk: "When will Di Shi come out with his true body?"
"Amitabha." The monk didn't have an oppressive Buddhist affinity or its power of conversion. He was extremely ordinary as he responded: "Buddha will come into this world one day."
These two had no need to show off their power. They looked incredibly normal because at their level the dharma was virtually the same and neither could convert the other. Forcefully doing so would only result in losing face — a waste of time.
Li Qiye laughed and spoke: "His coming will be the start of the great disaster."
"Amitabha. Break and rebuild. Without breaking, there can be no rebuilding. The new generation requires a new order as well as a new master." The monk replied without haste.
Li Qiye only smiled and let this go: "I hope for such a day as well. I'm not a pessimistic person, but I am not too optimistic about you guys."
"Amitabha." The old monk let out one last chant with nothing more to say.
Li Qiye went into the inner hall with the monk still leading the way. They met other old monks with the same plainness. Of course, they were once Buddhist Lords as well with a boundless dharma capable of converting Godkings.
But now, all of these terrifying existences were willing to stay here as ordinary monks. There was an unfathomable mystery that outsiders couldn't imagine or know about.
Of course, only truly great people could be welcomed into the temple by another monk. Even Godkings wouldn't receive such a reception so easily.