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.