Just a Useful Pawn in the Stain Sect

Chapter 370: Who Can Kill Me?

In the Southern Border, beneath layers of clouds.

Inside the army camp, the Southern King, Wu Taian, closed his eyes, recalling the last scene he had witnessed. ’Does the Ten Thousand Poison Sect have some kind of Exotic Treasure appearing?’

At this thought, he couldn’t help but consider taking a serious look with his Innate Green Eyes. However, after some consideration, he gave up on the tempting idea. It wasn’t that he couldn’t see through the Ten Thousand Poison Sect’s Mountain Protection Grand Array, but that it would be difficult to do so without alerting those inside the Array.

"So be it."

Wu Taian quickly reined in his thoughts. If this were within the Dao Court’s territory, his domineering nature would have him satisfying his curiosity first, consequences be damned.

However, this was the Southern Border.

The Ten Thousand Poison Sect was no cause for concern, but Lü Yang was, after all, a Master Sword Pavilion. Furthermore, his master was the Demon-Vanquishing Perfected. There was no need to stir up trouble over such a trivial matter.

After all, he had come to the Southern Border for something more important.

The next moment, Wu Taian turned and walked back into his military tent. After dismissing his attendants, he unexpectedly took out an ancient, square-shaped prayer wheel from within his robes.

KLAK-DA-DA...

Wu Taian circulated his Mana, slowly turning the prayer wheel. Though it looked like an ordinary object at first glance, it surprisingly required an immense amount of his Mana to operate.

As the prayer wheel slowly turned, each rotation caused the scripture inside to emit a wisp of Buddha Light. At first, it was but a spark, but it quickly grew into a brilliant flame. Within the fiery light, the silhouette of a monk gradually appeared, hands clasped together, smiling as he met Wu Taian’s gaze.

"Amitabha. Benefactor Wu, you are finally willing to see me."

The monk smiled faintly. He possessed a very strange aura; he looked stately and dignified, yet his mannerisms were inexplicably timid.

These two conflicting styles were perfectly fused within him.

"Guang Ming..."

Wu Taian’s expression was calm. "You started as nothing more than an ordinary Novice Monk Disciple in the Pure Land, not even a Perfected Person, yet your personality changed overnight."

"On that day, True Monarch Chaotian opened the great age of the world."

"All the Bodhisattvas went into seclusion, and only a single Dharma Appearance fell from the Free Heaven to the mortal world. Yet, by a perfect coincidence, it landed on you, making you the Buddha’s Son."

Wu Taian directly recounted the story of how Guang Ming became the Buddha’s Son, having clearly investigated it countless times. Yet no matter how many times he reviewed the story, it felt absurd. Did he really think that treasures just fall from the sky? That such a fateful opportunity would just happen to land on him? Were all the Arhats dead?

Therefore, only one question remained in his heart:

"Dare I ask, am I in the presence of a Venerable One?"

Wu Taian bowed his head deeply. All the True Monarchs had gone into seclusion; who could be an exception? A Nascent Soul Daoist Lord, of course! Besides, the Pure Land’s Bhagavat had a history of this sort of thing!

But in the face of Wu Taian’s question, Guang Ming just smiled.

He recalled the experience of that day. When that Dharma Appearance fell, he had been running for his life, only to run right into it in the end.

He still couldn’t accurately describe the feeling that followed. It wasn’t that he’d never been possessed by an Arhat before—that was a special privilege for Pure Land Buddhist Cultivators of a certain rank to control their subordinates. But those possessions were very distinct. As the original owner of the body, the sensation was profound, and he would subconsciously feel the urge to resist.

But that time was different.

That time, when the Dharma Appearance merged with him, he felt no resistance at all. He simply said, "Well, now! I never thought I was an incarnation of the Bhagavat!"

And then... nothing.

His consciousness didn’t change, his memories didn’t change, and his personality didn’t change... Thus, in the face of Wu Taian’s question, he could only smile.

Because he didn’t know either.

’Am I Guang Ming? Or am I the Bhagavat?’

None of that mattered. What mattered was that the Victorious Will-Born Clarity Tathagata’s World Appearance had now descended upon him, and with it came an inherent mission.

"Amitabha. Benefactor Wu, you are attached to appearances."

Guang Ming smiled and lowered his head to look at Wu Taian. "You took my prayer wheel because of the Karma between us. Now that I have descended, four disciples must accompany me west in Seeking Gold."

"These four disciples each have their own origins."

"The Victorious Will-Born Clarity Tathagata’s World Appearance has already determined the Karma. One person will be chosen from the East, the North, the South, and Overseas. Each can attain the Supreme Bodhi Fruit."

"And you, Benefactor, are one of them."

Guang Ming’s words made Wu Taian’s body tremble slightly. For his Cultivation, he couldn’t even control his own Dharma Body, a testament to the intensity of his emotional turmoil.

’The Bhagavat... It truly is the Bhagavat before me! The Victorious Will-Born Clarity Tathagata’s World Appearance is exactly the same as the Great Compassion and Great Mercy Tathagata’s World Appearance of the past! This is clearly the Bhagavat establishing karmic links, inviting me to be his disciple. As long as I accept this Karma, he is promising me a supreme Golden Position in the future!’

"Disciple greets Master!"

Even though the Guang Ming before him was a mere fraction of his age, Wu Taian didn’t hesitate in the slightest. He immediately prostrated himself and kowtowed three times, his head hitting the floor with heavy thuds.

Besides, he had long grown accustomed to this sort of thing in the Dao Court.

At the same time, an endless confidence surged within him. ’The Bhagavat himself promised me! He promised me a Golden Position! With this, isn’t my success in Seeking Gold a certainty?’

"Good."

Seeing Wu Taian kowtow so decisively, Guang Ming smiled and nodded. Then he tilted his head slightly as if listening to something, before speaking again.

"It is indeed a matter of Karma."

"There’s no time like the present. Today, aside from Benefactor Wu, there is another benefactor who shares the master-disciple fate with this humble monk. It’s a good opportunity to meet him as well."

Wu Taian’s brow furrowed at these words.

’Someone else? Who?’

As a Dao Court cultivator, court intrigue was an instinct buried deep in Wu Taian’s bones. Before Guang Ming had even finished speaking, he subconsciously felt a sense of hostility.

’Could it be...’

Wu Taian pondered. ’The Bhagavat wouldn’t pick a Loose Cultivator as a disciple. He would certainly choose from one of the Four Great Forces. And besides me, who else is in the Southern Border?’

’...That Master Sword Pavilion?’

This suspicion became a certainty when Guang Ming glanced in the direction of the Ten Thousand Poison Sect. But Wu Taian just couldn’t figure it out: On what grounds did that Master Sword Pavilion deserve this?

He hadn’t even reached Foundation Establishment Perfection!

Why would the Bhagavat choose him?

......

"HISS!"

For some unknown reason, despite having just slain Long Yue and being at a moment when he should be feeling triumphant, Lü Yang suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold.

’What’s going on?’

Lü Yang looked up, a bad premonition rising in his heart, along with a sense of urgency. ’Delays breed trouble. I should finish what I need to do as soon as possible and get my main body settled.’

Thinking of this, Lü Yang immediately formed a hand seal for the Imperial Mountain Shifting Technique.

Empowered by this Dharma Gate, the mountain gate of the Ten Thousand Poison Sect split open with a RUMBLE, revealing the inside of the mountain. A natural cavern came into view.

Within the cave was a pool of liquid.

Concentrated moonlight shone into the pool. Although Lü Yang had already emptied it of the previously accumulated Emperor’s Liquid, it was only a matter of time before it gathered again.

The next moment, Lü Yang’s consciousness returned to his main body. He strode into the pool, and an unprecedented feeling of affinity with heaven and earth washed over him. It was like an infant returning to the womb. A melodious whisper echoed in his ears, as if expounding the Heaven and Earth Dao to him.

"Excellent... Excellent!"

A look of joy spread across Lü Yang’s face. "As long as I stay in this Moon Worshiping Pool, the time it takes to nurture my Immortal Spirit won’t be an issue at all. I can reach Perfection in thirty years at the latest!"

Foundation Establishment Perfection—the highest level of existence below a Perfected Lord.

At that time, who will be able to kill me!?

As he thought of this, Lü Yang suddenly felt a little drowsy.

Ever since he had been able to replace sleep with meditation, Lü Yang had never slept again. In all his nine lifetimes of cultivation, this was the first time he had ever felt sleepy.

’Maybe I should sleep for a bit? There’s no rush, anyway. I have a clone watching outside, so I can just sleep for a while. When I wake up, heaven and earth will have naturally arranged everything...’

"...Hm?"

BOOM!!!

Like a clap of thunder, Lü Yang’s mind violently roused itself from its drowsiness. His eyelids, which were about to close, forcibly tore open a slit from the darkness.

’Something’s wrong! Something is definitely wrong! But... when did it start to feel wrong? Why didn’t I notice?’

In an instant, a chaotic jumble of thoughts surfaced and died in Lü Yang’s mind, finally coalescing into a single, clear, and distinct command:

’Tribulation Wave!’

’Save me!’