Chapter 224
Chapter 224
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 224
Chapter Title: Hong Ju!
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"Done for!"
At this moment, the Vimalakirti Venerable One's heart chilled by more than half. He felt a bone-deep coldness in his limbs and bones, as if he had just staggered out of an ice cavern.
He did not recognize Hong Ju.
This was normal enough. Even in the Primal Saint Sect, aside from the True Lords and a few others connected to the [Covered Lamp Fire], no one knew of Hong Ju.
After all, when the Hong Yun Daoist had enlightened Hong Ju—a Perfected Being at the peak of Foundation Establishment—it was precisely to make him a hidden ace for reclaiming his position later. A hidden ace broadcast to the world wouldn't be much of an ace. It had to lurk in the shadows to be effective.
On top of that, Perfected Being Clear Serenity Flying Snow had deliberately concealed him.
Thus, no one had accounted for him.
This was the moment when Heavy Light sought gold, with all of Jiangbei under the gaze of various True Lords. Every late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, even those at the peak, was under watch.
Any move by one of them would draw a corresponding response from the relevant parties.
Hong Ju alone stood solitary, unaccounted for.
His appearance was thus utterly terrifying to the Vimalakirti Venerable One. Those eyes, blazing like lamps, pierced straight into his mind.
'Who the hell is this guy!?'
'Every peak Foundation Establishment great cultivator with full divine abilities under heaven is renowned, etched in the minds of all True Lords, aren't they?'
'How could someone just pop out of nowhere like this!?'
A hundred thoughts churned in the Vimalakirti Venerable One's mind, but his eyes reflected a vast sea of flames. Only then did he realize his own eyes had been set ablaze.
Flames erupted without warning from within his body, searing through his five viscera and six bowels, gushing from his seven orifices and five senses, igniting his monk robes. Hong Ju hadn't even formed a seal or cast a spell from start to finish—just a single glance, and he had turned into a human torch!
"Ah!!!"
Transformed into a man of fire, the Vimalakirti Venerable One let out a thunderous roar. Buddhist chants boomed like thunder as his mouth gaped wide, unleashing an exquisitely profound Dao art.
"[Heart Light Escape Method]!"
Where the heart desired, the thought moved, and so he went!
He had studied this Heart Light Escape Method for centuries, more proficient than any other Pure Land Venerable. His escape speed was the fastest among them.
That was why Pure Land had sent him to Jiangbei.
With this [Heart Light Escape Method], even against a peak Foundation Establishment great cultivator, he had a fifty percent chance of fleeing—not a certain death!
In the next instant, the Vimalakirti Venerable One shot into the sky.
This turn of events sparked a flicker of hope in his heart. But just as it rose, his spiritual platform clouded with a layer of dust.
Countless stray thoughts exploded forth.
'This guy's bullying me so much—why not give him a piece of my mind before I go?'
'No rush, toy with him a bit more!'
'I, Vimalakirti, have never yielded to anyone in my life! Even if my cultivation is a touch weaker and my divine abilities a step behind, what's death to fear? At worst, a fight to the death.'
By the time the Vimalakirti Venerable One finally broke free of those stray thoughts, Hong Ju's palm had already drifted lightly onto the crown of his head.
Crack!
One palm, and his heavenly spirit shattered!
In that moment, the Vimalakirti Venerable One's eyes bulged wide. His proud indestructible golden body offered no resistance at all, shattering like glass at a touch.
From the碎 remains of flesh and blood, his soul emerged.
Only then did a beam of white light manifest from the void, enveloping his soul and preventing it from falling into reincarnation.
Under the glow of that white light, the Vimalakirti Venerable One finally understood why he had been so muddled, utterly powerless against Hong Ju. Above his head floated a slowly turning book, boldly inscribed with a single line.
[Vimalakirti Dies by My Hand]
"So that's how it is." The Vimalakirti Venerable One's soul trembled with rage. "A peak Foundation Establishment great cultivator using a fruit-position treasure to scheme against me. Such petty villainy."
Peak Foundation Establishment, for heaven's sake—he could crush me head-on!
Yet he still had to use a fruit-position treasure to ambush him, tricking him into sending over his divine sense like an idiot. It was pure mockery, deliberate humiliation!
But Hong Ju ignored the Vimalakirti Venerable One's fury.
"Pure Land's guiding light."
He withdrew his hand and took a step back, looking up to the sky. There, clouds piled in layers, faintly forming the visage of a Buddha's head.
Boom! Lightning flashed through the clouds, exploding in the Buddha's eyes.
".Bodhisattva, forgive me." Hong Ju gave a wry smile. "This villain only sought to survive. Please, Bodhisattva, be magnanimous and overlook my lowly ways."
Before the words finished, a cold snort echoed abruptly.
"Bald donkey, get lost!"
In an instant, summer snow flew. A gale scattered the Buddha-cloud in the sky, blocking Pure Land's wrathful gaze from Jiangbei.
The next second, the visions faded. Vimalakirti's soul returned to Pure Land under its guiding light. This was one perk of becoming a great cultivator in Pure Land—no need for rebirth. Even in death, one reformed within Pure Land, spared the torments of reincarnation.
Seeing this, Hong Ju breathed a sigh of relief.
Then he glanced toward the direction of the Dragon-Severing Pass, then back toward the Primal Saint Sect. Soon, a voice drifted over faintly:
"Pure Land intervened once. You intervene once."
No one responded, tacitly accepting. Hong Ju, no longer hesitant, strode toward the Dragon-Severing Pass.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared in a sealed chamber.
Inside, Lu Yang was still activating the formation, collecting every strand of the Vimalakirti Venerable One's divine sense. He looked up at once.
".Greetings, Senior."
Lu Yang reacted swiftly, bowing deeply. "Was that Buddhist cultivator dealt with? Is there anything this junior can do to help?"
".Quick on the uptake."
Hong Ju's expression toward Lu Yang was complicated. Not long ago, he had schemed every way to take this man's life. Now, he was here to save him instead.
"That Buddhist cultivator was named Vimalakirti."
Hong Ju cut straight to it. "I clouded his spiritual platform, making him send you several strands of divine sense. Can we call it even on past grievances?"
Lu Yang froze for a moment.
But he quickly caught on. The Primal Saint Sect great cultivator with whom he had bad blood... this man before him was the culprit behind his heavenly tribulation?
With that in mind, Lu Yang bowed hastily. "Senior overthinks it."
"Those were mere trifles back then. This junior never dared hold a grudge—why speak of wiping the slate clean? Please, Senior, think nothing of it."
". "
Hong Ju sighed. Fellow Primal Saint Sect Perfected Being, do you take me for a fool?
"Never dared hold a grudge" meant he absolutely did. "Why speak of wiping the slate clean" meant he refused to! This guy's too petty-minded!
".With True Lord's permission, I can lend you a hand."
Hong Ju extended his hand, a strand of golden merit qi floating in his palm. "This is part of that Vimalakirti's merit and fortune. I extracted it."
Then he produced a book.
"This is the [Shared Fate and Exchanged Luck Register Scripture]. It consumes merit and fortune to inscribe words, and heaven and earth will propel those events."
He handed both over.
"Borrow it for now. You write—one sentence only: From this day forth, our karma is resolved. We may yet be colleagues; let bygones be bygones."
Though his cultivation outstripped Lu Yang by miles, Lu Yang's backer was formidable. If Heavy Light succeeded in the future, he'd rely on Heavy Light's favor to survive. Falling out with a favorite like Lu Yang? What if the guy sabotaged him?
Better to pay up and make peace.
Meanwhile, Lu Yang stared fixedly at the [Shared Fate and Exchanged Luck Register Scripture], eyes gleaming. So this was the wondrous treasure that could trigger heavenly tribulations?
'Foolproof, truly foolproof!'
'Just wonder if it's Heavy Light's contingency... or Perfected Being Flying Snow's arrangement. With this, assassinating that King Qing of [Celebration Kingdom] is no longer impossible!'
(End of chapter)