Chapter 370: Who Can Kill Me?
Southern Frontier, beneath layers of clouds.
Within the military camp, the King of the South Suppression, Wu Tai'an, closed his eyes, recalling the last scene he had witnessed: "Did the Myriad Poison Sect have some rare treasure emerge?"
At this thought, he couldn't help but entertain the idea of using his Innate Blue Eyes to observe carefully. However, after some consideration, he abandoned this tempting notion—not because he couldn't penetrate the Myriad Poison Sect's mountain-protecting formation, but because doing so without alerting those inside the formation would be difficult.
"Forget it."
Wu Tai'an quickly suppressed his thoughts. If this were within the Dao Court's territory, given his domineering nature, he wouldn't hesitate to satisfy his curiosity first and ask questions later.
But this was the Southern Frontier.
The Myriad Poison Sect was not worth worrying about, yet Lü Yang was, after all, a True Person of the Sword Pavilion and a disciple of that True Person Dangmo. There was no need to stir up unnecessary trouble over such a trivial matter.
After all, he had come to the Southern Frontier for more important reasons.
The next moment, Wu Tai'an turned and walked back into his tent, dismissing his attendants. Then, surprisingly, he took out an ancient, square prayer wheel from his robes.
Click-clack.
Wu Tai'an channeled his magic power and slowly rotated the prayer wheel. At first glance, it appeared to be an ordinary object, yet it required an immense expenditure of his energy to operate.
As the prayer wheel turned, each rotation produced a strand of Buddhist light. Initially, it was but a flicker, yet it soon transformed into a blazing fire. Within the flames, the silhouette of a monk gradually emerged, hands clasped together in greeting, smiling as he met Wu Tai'an's gaze.
"Amitabha. Benefactor Wu has finally agreed to meet me."
The monk smiled faintly, exuding an oddly contradictory aura—his appearance was dignified and majestic, yet his demeanor inexplicably carried a trace of timidity.
These conflicting traits were perfectly fused within him.
"Guang Ming..."
Wu Tai'an remained expressionless. "Initially, you were merely the most ordinary novice disciple of the Pure Land, not even a True Person. Yet overnight, your personality underwent a drastic change."
"That day, the True Lord of Morning Truth and Great Void initiated a grand cultivation era."
"All Bodhisattvas withdrew into seclusion, yet a single dharma image descended from the Heaven of Freedom and fell precisely upon you, making you the Buddha's heir."
Wu Tai'an recounted Guang Ming's ascension as the Buddha's heir without hesitation, clearly having investigated the matter thoroughly. Yet no matter how many times he reviewed this story, it still seemed absurd—as if blessings truly fell from the sky? And coincidentally landed on you? Were all those Arhats blind?
Thus, he had only one question:
"Dare I ask if I am truly in the presence of the Honored One?"
Wu Tai'an bowed deeply. If all True Lords had withdrawn, who could be exempt? Naturally, it would be a Nascent Soul Dao Lord! Moreover, the Pure Land's World-Honored One had a precedent for such acts!
Yet in response to Wu Tai'an's inquiry, Guang Ming merely laughed.
He recalled the events of that day—when the dharma image descended, he had fled in panic, yet in the end, he had collided with it head-on.
The sensation that followed was something he still couldn't accurately describe. He had been possessed by an Arhat before—this was a privilege the Pure Land's Buddhist cultivators exercised to control their subordinates—yet such possession was always distinct. As the original owner of the body, he had been acutely aware of it, instinctively resisting.
But that time was different.
When the dharma image merged with him, he felt no resistance at all. He simply uttered, "Ah! Who would have thought I was an incarnation of the World-Honored One!"
And that was that.
His consciousness remained unchanged, his memories unaltered, his personality the same... Thus, faced with Wu Tai'an's question, he could only smile.
Because he himself did not know.
'Am I Guang Ming? Or am I the World-Honored One?'
Such questions were irrelevant. What mattered was that the Manifestation of Victory and Clarity Dharmadhatu now resided within him, granting him an innate mission.
"Amitabha. Benefactor Wu, you are attached to appearances."
Guang Ming smiled faintly and lowered his gaze to Wu Tai'an. "You took my prayer wheel because of the fateful connection between us. Now that I have descended, four disciples shall accompany me westward in search of the Golden Seat."
"These four disciples each have their own origins."
"The Manifestation of Victory and Clarity Dharmadhatu has already determined their fates—one from Jiangdong, one from Jiangbei, one from Jiangnan, and one from overseas. Each shall attain the supreme Bodhi enlightenment."
"And you, benefactor, are one of them."
Guang Ming's words caused Wu Tai'an's body to tremble slightly. Despite his cultivation, he couldn't control his Physical Form—a testament to the intensity of his emotional turmoil.
'The World-Honored One... It truly is him! The Manifestation of Victory and Clarity Dharmadhatu is identical to the Great Compassion and Mercy Dharmadhatu Observation of the past! This is unmistakably the World-Honored One establishing karma and fate, inviting me to become his disciple. If I accept this connection, he promises me an unparalleled Golden Seat in the future!'
"Disciple pays respects to Master!"
Despite Guang Ming being far younger than him, Wu Tai'an didn't hesitate for a moment. He immediately knelt and kowtowed three times heavily.
After all, within the Dao Court, such practices were already second nature to him.
At the same time, boundless confidence surged within him. The World-Honored One had personally promised him! Granted him a Golden Seat! How could his quest for the Golden Seat not end in certain victory?
"Excellent."
Seeing Wu Tai'an kowtow decisively, Guang Ming nodded with a smile. Then, he tilted his head slightly, as if listening to something, before speaking again:
"Truly, this is where fate lies."
"Rather than choosing an auspicious day, why not seize the moment? Today, aside from Benefactor Wu, there is another benefactor destined to become my disciple. It would be fitting to meet him as well."
Hearing this, Wu Tai'an frowned.
'Someone else? Who?'
As a cultivator of the Dao Court, palace intrigue was ingrained in Wu Tai'an's bones. Before Guang Ming had even finished speaking, hostility instinctively arose within him.
'Could it be...'
Wu Tai'an pondered. Naturally, the World-Honored One wouldn't recruit a rogue cultivator—he would seek disciples from among the Four Great Powers. And in the Southern Frontier, aside from himself, who else was there?
'...That Sword Pavilion True Person?'
This speculation grew firmer when Guang Ming glanced toward the Myriad Poison Sect's direction. Yet Wu Tai'an couldn't fathom: What qualifications did that Sword Pavilion True Person have?
He wasn't even at Foundation Establishment Perfection!
Why would the World-Honored One favor him?
"Tsk!"
For some reason, despite having just slain Long Yue and being at the height of his triumph, Lü Yang suddenly felt a bone-chilling coldness.
'What's going on?'
Lü Yang raised his head, a sense of foreboding and urgency rising within him. 'Too many delays breed complications. I should finish my tasks quickly and settle my Original Body.'
With this thought, Lü Yang immediately formed a hand seal for the [Commanding Mountain Moving Righteous Method].
Under the influence of this technique, the Myriad Poison Sect's mountain gate split apart with a thunderous crack, revealing the scene within the mountain—a natural limestone cave came into view.
Inside the cave was a pool of liquid.
Intense moonlight poured into the pool. Although Lü Yang had already emptied the accumulated Imperial Flow Essence earlier, it was only a matter of time before it replenished itself.
The next moment, Lü Yang's consciousness returned to his Original Body. He strode into the pool, and instantly, an unprecedented sense of harmony with heaven and earth surged through him—as if an infant had returned to its mother's womb. Soft murmurs echoed in his ears, as though expounding the Great Dao of the universe.
"Good... Very good!"
Lü Yang's face lit up with joy. "As long as I remain within this Moon Worshiping Pool, the time needed for the immortal spirit's gestation is no issue at all. At the latest, I'll achieve perfection within thirty years!"
Foundation Establishment Perfection—the pinnacle beneath True Lords.
At that time, who could kill me!?
As this thought crossed his mind, Lü Yang suddenly felt drowsy.
Ever since he had replaced sleep with meditation, Lü Yang had never slept. Through nine lifetimes of cultivation, this was the first time he had felt sleepy.
Perhaps a short nap wouldn't hurt?
After all, there was no rush. With his Avatar keeping watch outside, he could afford to sleep. By the time he awoke, heaven and earth would have arranged everything...
"...Hm?"
Boom!!!
Like a clap of thunder, Lü Yang's consciousness forcibly roused itself from its drowsiness. His eyelids, on the verge of closing, were pried open against the encroaching darkness.
'No! Something's wrong!'
'But... When did things go wrong?'
Why hadn't I noticed?
In an instant, chaotic thoughts surged and dissipated in Lü Yang's mind, finally coalescing into a single, clear command:
'[Tribulation Wave]!'
Save me!