Chapter 891: If You Die, I Lose
The Cripple placed Qin Mu on Yan'er's back and kept urging this dragon sparrow to fly faster.
Yan Qiling was a disciple of the Ancient God Heavenly Emperor, so even if they encountered inspections, she could pass through smoothly without obstruction.
Yan'er carried them, flying with all her might toward Yankang. Dragon Qilin carefully examined Qin Mu's injuries, shook his head, and said, "The sect leader's superficial wounds are all minor. His Overlord Body Three Dan Art is very strong, containing the power of creation. His physical injuries can all heal. Crippled Master need not worry."
The Cripple said coldly, "Since when do you know medicine?"
Dragon Qilin quickly shook his head and said cautiously, "I don't. But last time, when the sect leader fought against the Imperial Heaven Venerable from the Heavenly Court at the Great Black Palace, he was also severely injured, even his soul origin was damaged. He slept in the Moon Palace and basically recovered. The Supreme Emperor Sword God knows about this. If Crippled Master doesn't believe me, you can ask the Supreme Emperor Sword God."
The Cripple was skeptical and looked at the sleeping Qin Mu. He saw that Qin Mu was no longer spitting blood, and his faint breath was gradually becoming longer and steadier.
He could see that beneath Qin Mu's eyelids, his eyeballs were moving. He should be dreaming.
Dragon Qilin said, "When the sect leader was talking with the Supreme Emperor Sword God, I was lying behind them pretending to sleep, so I know a few things. The Supreme Emperor Sword God said that when the Woodcutter Sage examined him while he was injured and unconscious, he discovered that when the sect leader entered his dreams, Buddhist dharma was circulating. The sect leader later said it might be the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha's Infinite Kalpa Sutra."
The Cripple carefully examined Qin Mu and said angrily, "Where is the Buddhist dharma? I can't see it!"
Dragon Qilin said with difficulty, "The Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha's Imperial Throne True Sutra is very powerful. Perhaps Crippled Master is not as good as the Woodcutter Sage, which is why you can't see it."
The Cripple was furious, then suddenly coughed violently, coughing up blood.
Dragon Qilin quickly said, "Crippled Master, you've been running too fast, traveling for days without rest. You've injured your soul and your lungs. I don't know how to treat soul injuries, but for physical injuries, you just need to take some dragon saliva. I have plenty of dragon saliva..."
"Your old man doesn't want to drink your spit! My Creation Art is already strong enough. I don't need your spit to recover!"
The Cripple cursed and grumbled, then his gaze fell back on Qin Mu. He saw that on the sleeping Qin Mu's brow, there was a wound shaped like an eye socket, but there was no eye inside, only a withered eyelid.
The more the Cripple looked, the more his heart ached. He wanted to smooth out his forehead, but no matter what, he couldn't make it flat.
Just then, flesh and blood began to grow in the center of Qin Mu's brow, slowly filling that eye socket. The eyelid also healed and fused together.
A small bump appeared on his forehead, as if he had been bitten by a mosquito.
The Cripple touched this small bump. It was a bit hard inside. He didn't know if it was a ball of flesh or an eyeball.
Yan Qiling was also carefully examining Qin Mu's injuries. Her expression was strange, and she said, "There is indeed Buddhist dharma circulating within his body."
The Cripple said angrily, "You can see it too?"
Yan Qiling said, "I have done some research on Buddhism. Buddhism is the only acquired path that the Dao Ancestor has not deconstructed with mathematical techniques. Therefore, I once went to the Buddhist realm to study for a time, trying to comprehend its mysteries."
The Cripple's expression softened. He had always worn a smiling face when meeting people, but because Qin Mu was injured, the smile he usually wore had vanished, and he had no good expression for anyone.
"But the strange thing is..."
Yan Qiling continued to examine Qin Mu's injuries, her expression growing even stranger. "He has no soul! His primordial spirit has scattered, leaving only his spiritual embryo. Strange. In this state, he should have had his soul scattered and his spirit extinguished. I don't know why he is still not dead."
The Cripple looked at Qin Mu and saw that his breath was becoming more and more stable. He gradually relaxed.
A hint of tenderness appeared in his old eyes, and the corners of his eyes crinkled with a smile. He said, "As long as he's alive. Since he's getting better and the Buddhist dharma is working, then let's not go to Yankang to find the Pharmacist. It won't do any good to find him. He doesn't understand Buddhism either. Let's go to the Great Thunderclap Monastery. Master Ma will definitely understand."
They turned toward Mount Sumeru.
The Primordial Realm had broken its seal, and the complete Mount Sumeru had reappeared in the world. The twenty Buddhist heavens were built along the mountain, layer upon layer spiraling upward, making this divine mountain even more magnificent.
The part of Mount Sumeru that was in the Primordial Realm was the Great Thunderclap Monastery. The other twenty heavens were outside the Primordial Realm. Because this was the territory of the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha, no one dared to violate it. Millions of Yankang people were hiding here, waiting for the calamity to pass.
"This is the Infinite Kalpa Sutra. Sect Leader Qin's life is not in danger."
In the Great Thunderclap Monastery, Ma Tathagata summoned the Demon Ape War Void and the Bright Mind Monk to examine the sleeping Qin Mu. Only the two of them had studied the Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha's Imperial Throne True Sutra.
The Bright Mind Monk said, "But Sect Leader Qin has no soul, only a spiritual embryo. I have little experience with such a situation. Senior Brother War Void, your Buddhist dharma is profound. What do you think of his current state..."
The Demon Ape said, "Good."
Ma Tathagata frowned and said, "Disciple, how do you interpret the word 'good'?"
The Bright Mind Monk said, "Teacher, Senior Brother means that danger turns into good fortune. There is no danger to his life."
Ma Tathagata was still a bit uneasy and said, "The Great Brahma Heavenly King Buddha resides in the Great Brahma Heaven. I will send Mu'er up to seek an audience with the Great Brahma Heaven. He is vastly powerful and will surely have a solution."
The Cripple nodded and was about to agree, but he saw the Demon Ape lean down and whisper a single word in Qin Mu's ear. The sound was very soft, but Qin Mu slowly woke up and opened his eyes.
The Demon Ape put his palms together and smiled. "Good."
The Bright Mind Monk sighed. "Senior Brother has great wisdom."
Qin Mu's complexion was still not good. He struggled to get up, greeted Ma Tathagata, and said, "I was still awake in my dream and heard what Master Ma said. I am very clear about my injuries. There is no need to go see the Old Buddha. The Old Buddha has already passed his teachings to me. Seeing him or not will yield the same result. I want to return to Yankang."
He also greeted the Demon Ape and the Bright Mind Monk, and they returned the greeting.
"Mu'er really wants to return to Yankang?"
Ma Tathagata suddenly took off his kasaya and removed his prayer beads. He smiled and said, "Back then, I promised my teacher to pass on his dharma on his behalf, to ensure that the Great Thunderclap Monastery would not be destroyed. Now, in terms of Buddhist dharma, both War Void and Bright Mind have already surpassed me by a great deal. I have already accomplished the passing of the dharma and the lamp. It is time to return to my true self. From today onward, I am still the old Ma, Ma the Divine Arrestor. Bright Mind, you will put the kasaya on your senior brother and hang the prayer beads around his neck."
The Demon Ape knelt and bowed. Bright Mind unfolded the kasaya and draped it over his shoulders, then hung the prayer beads around his neck.
Master Ma smiled and said, "Bright Mind sees the nature, the battling mind-ape. Bright Mind, you help him subdue the mind-ape. War Void, from now on, you are the Tathagata. Both great monks, you may stay. Our Buddhist affinity has ended."
The Demon Ape stood up, put his palms together, and said, "Farewell, benefactor."
Master Ma returned the greeting, then followed the Cripple, Qin Mu, and the others down the mountain.
Yankang Imperial City.
More and more Yankang people were being escorted from all over, including even remnants of the Chi Ming tribe. Near the capital, countless camps were crowded with people. More than two hundred Yankang deities nervously guarded these Yankang citizens.
But there were too many people, and food supply was a huge problem.
Among the students from various academies and schools, those skilled in the art of creation opened up fertile fields, using the path of creation to make crops grow quickly, harvesting and processing grain.
However, the land in these fields could only sustain three or four harvests before the fertility was exhausted and the fields became barren. They had to keep opening up new farmland.
Outside, the world was in chaos. The gods and demons of the Heavenly Court appeared and disappeared unpredictably. Opening up farmland outside easily cost lives, and many students had died.
Inside and outside the capital, there was widespread panic and gloom.
On this day, a fleet of Heavenly Court tower ships sailed through the sky. Countless golden, radiant divine beings stood majestically on the ships, their divine weapons gleaming, their divine might overwhelming, pressing down on the Yankang people until they could hardly breathe.
Although the Heavenly Court's army of gods and demons had arrived, they did not attack. Instead, they restrained the Heavenly Court gods and demons scattered everywhere, forbidding them from attacking the Yankang people. Their discipline was very strict.
Inside and outside the capital, many common people burned incense and kowtowed to these lofty deities, praying for safety.
"When people are in suffering, their base nature is reborn."
The Yankang National Teacher stood on the city wall, looking up at the Heavenly Court's army, then down at the countless common people who were kowtowing and praying to the Heavenly Court army. He showed a bitter smile and said, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid we will never be able to change all of this in this lifetime."
Yankang Emperor stood behind him, breathing with difficulty. His voice was hoarse as he said, "Throughout the ages, every revolution and reform has been accompanied by bloodshed. In the Chi Ming and Ming Dynasties, Emperor Chi and Emperor Ming left no remains. In the various generations of the Supreme Emperor, few had good endings. The Kai Emperor was destroyed, and the thirty-three heavens' heavenly court was destroyed in an instant. A generation of heroic rulers endured in the Land of No Worry. The resistance to Yankang's reforms is even greater. If bloodshed is needed..."
The Yankang National Teacher smiled and said, "Let it begin with you and me."
Yankang Emperor laughed heartily, then suddenly sighed. "I'm just worried that after you and I die, there will be no successors. The world has many ignorant people. The gods want the people to be stupid, not daring to resist, not daring to change. The ignorant people are also willing to be stupid, not wanting to resist, not wanting to change. National Teacher, look. Even after all our reforms, there are still people kneeling to gods and demons. The greatest resistance to reform sometimes comes from these people."
The Yankang National Teacher was deeply grieved. "Is it worth dying for these people?"
"It's worth it!"
Yankang Emperor said loudly, "Destroy the gods in the temples, destroy the gods in the heart. Some people will hesitate, but there are also those who have not knelt down!"
His eyes grew brighter and brighter. He smiled and said, "After they stand up, some people will kneel down again, but there will also be those who will never kneel again. Even if you and I become the sacrifices of this reform and revolution, there will still be people who will continue to walk our path until this world is changed! This, is worth it!"
In the sky, a majestic deity flew over and arrived above the Yankang capital.
He was so vast that he distorted space. The Heavenly Court's tower ships and warships surrounded him like stars orbiting the sun.
It was the East Heavenly Azure Emperor.
He towered into the clouds, his face level with the sky, white clouds adorning his waist.
This righteous, radiant, ten-thousand-light deity possessed unparalleled power and might. The Yankang capital and the billions of people below seemed as if they could be wiped out with a flick of a finger.
A divine official flew into the palm of the East Heavenly Azure Emperor, knelt down, kowtowed respectfully, then requested a scroll of imperial decree. He kowtowed again, raised the decree above his head, and then bowed backward as he flew away.
"We have never had such rules here."
Yankang Emperor smiled and said, "The Heavenly Court's rules are too strict."
The Yankang National Teacher smiled and said, "Your Majesty has forgotten. When the purists in the court impeached me and Sect Leader Qin, they kowtowed like pounding garlic, even banging their heads until they bled."
Yankang Emperor's face darkened. He said resentfully, "I want to have your head cut off. I'll remember that for now."
"Your Majesty won't have the chance," the Yankang National Teacher said with a faint smile. He saw his wife and daughter in the city, and his heart ached. Then he turned around, his expression unchanged.
"Yankang sinners, receive the decree!"
The divine official held the decree in his hands, his voice like thunder, resounding through the clouds.
As soon as the words fell, countless people knelt down. Some cultivators also knelt. Yankang Emperor and the Yankang National Teacher felt another pang in their hearts, but when they saw that there were still many who had not knelt, their spirits lifted again.
The divine official glanced at the two of them, sneered, and unrolled the decree. He read aloud: "By the mandate of heaven, the natives of Yankang are ungrateful for heavenly grace. They act against heaven, reform to disrupt the heavenly way, causing heaven's wrath and people's resentment, making life impossible for the people. However, heaven has the virtue of loving life. His Majesty's decree is to punish only the chief culprits, not the rest. Heaven's will is thus:
"One: Collect all reform texts from Yankang's various academies, schools, and institutes, burn them publicly. Future generations shall not reform;
"Two: Yankang shall restore ancestral systems. Retain the position of emperor. Let sects govern the country. All sects and schools shall respect the gods. The people shall respect the gods and pray to the gods;
"Three: Yankang's coinage rights shall be handed over to the Heavenly Court. The Heavenly Court shall mint coins for circulation among the people. The Yankang state shall not compete with the people for profit;
"Four: Yankang shall not forge heavy divine artifacts. Any who forge them shall have their nine clans exterminated;
"Five: Yankang shall follow ancestral laws. They shall not arbitrarily change divine abilities or alter dao techniques;
"Six: The Yankang Emperor shall hold grand sacrifices every year to thank heaven for its grace;
"Seven: Among the Yankang people, any household possessing clever and extravagant devices shall destroy them all. They shall not be privately kept;
"Eight: Yankang Emperor and Yankang National Teacher, who have spread heretical laws and seditious words, plunging the world into chaos, shall be immediately taken to the Divine Execution Platform. Their bodies and primordial spirits shall be executed as a warning to others! By imperial order—"
Inside and outside the Yankang capital, there was an uproar. Countless cultivators and Yankang gods and demons showed expressions of humiliation and indignation, unable to contain their anger, wishing they could immediately charge into the sky and fight.
Yankang Emperor laughed heartily, bowed, and said, "The guilty minister receives the decree!"
The Yankang National Teacher issued an order that no one was to act rashly.
Several Heavenly Court tower ships flew over, pulling a Divine Execution Platform. On the platform, blood light shot into the sky. Two blood blades intertwined endlessly.
The divine official said, "Please, the two of you, walk onto the Divine Execution Platform."
Inside and outside the Yankang capital, there was silence. Countless gazes stared blankly at the Divine Execution Platform in the sky.
"Beheading is just beheading."
Suddenly, a laugh broke the silence. The indignant people and cultivators followed the sound and saw Qin Mu, his face pale, as if seriously ill, standing on the forehead of Dragon Qilin, appearing behind the Heavenly Court's fleet of tower ships.
Dragon Qilin stepped on fire clouds, unhurriedly walking into the fleet, then turned his head to look at the face of the lofty East Heavenly Azure Emperor.
"The Divine Execution Platform is so scary."
Qin Mu looked at the Divine Execution Platform and burst out laughing. "As if, after they die and their souls scatter, I can't resurrect them."
He did not look at the East Heavenly Azure Emperor. He waved at the Yankang National Teacher and Yankang Emperor, and said weakly, "National Teacher, Emperor, go ahead and face death. If you die, I lose."
Behind him, the East Heavenly Azure Emperor raised his hand to stop the Heavenly Court gods and demons who were about to act in anger. He said calmly, "This is the Mu Heavenly Venerable. Give him face."
—A few minutes late, but at least it's a four-thousand-character chapter!