# Chapter 519: The Second Buddha Emperor Heir
Zhang Ruochen was very low-key. Entering the tavern, he chose a corner seat, sat down, ordered a pot of wine, and drank quietly.
Although his reputation was now great, not many people actually recognized him.
Thus, no one in the tavern noticed him.
Zhang Ruochen had just sat down for a short while when a voice sounded beside his ear: "Amitabha! Benefactor, may this humble monk sit here?"
Zhang Ruochen looked up at the speaker. He saw a bald-headed man dressed in simple cloth garments standing behind him.
Why did Zhang Ruochen think he was a bald-headed man rather than a monk?
It was because this man was extremely tall, probably reaching two meters and seven in height, like a giant. An ordinary person standing beside him would only reach his abdomen.
Moreover, his face was covered in fierce-looking flesh, giving him a menacing appearance. On his back, he carried a broad blade two meters long.
No matter how one looked at him, he seemed more like a butcher than a monk.
The bald-headed man squeezed out a smile he thought was friendly and said, "All the seats in the tavern are full. Only this spot has three empty places. Benefactor, please be accommodating!"
Zhang Ruochen nodded.
"Thank you."
The bald-headed man immediately pressed his palms together, recited a Buddhist greeting, and then sat down across from Zhang Ruochen.
Perhaps because he was too heavy, the wooden chair creaked as he sat down, as if it might break at any moment.
"This humble monk's Dharma name is Lidi. Benefactor, how should I address you?"
Monk Lidi squeezed out another friendly smile, his eyes narrowing into slits.
However, that smile, combined with his physique, always gave people a very strange feeling.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes fixed on Monk Lidi's waist.
There, Monk Lidi wore four tokens: a black iron token representing first place on the Yellow List, a bronze token for first on the Profound List, a silver token for first on the Earth List, and a golden token that only Heavenly List martial artists could possess.
However, the characters printed on the golden token were not "first." Instead, they ranked after the millionth position, nearly at the bottom of the Heavenly List.
Zhang Ruochen felt this monk was somewhat strange. He asked solemnly, "Who exactly are you?"
"This humble monk's Dharma name is Lidi," Monk Lidi said again.
As he spoke, Monk Lidi took out a Buddhist bead from his bosom and placed it on the corner of the table.
The moment the bead touched the tabletop...
With a *whoosh*, the bead emitted a blinding golden light. Countless golden Sanskrit characters flew out from the bead, floating in the void.
Instantly, all the drinkers in the tavern vanished.
Zhang Ruochen and Monk Lidi still sat facing each other beside the table, as if suspended at the center of heaven and earth. The entire universe seemed to contain only the two of them, utterly silent.
"Immaculate Domain!"
Zhang Ruochen remained calm, staring at the bald-headed man across from him who called himself a monk. "Are you a disciple of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Path?"
Monk Lidi pressed his palms together. "The Ten Thousand Buddhas Path has long been fragmented, leaving only three major branches: Brahma Heaven Path, Bodhi Temple, and Birth-Death Monastery."
Zhang Ruochen said, "And you?"
"This humble monk is a disciple of the Brahma Heaven Path."
Zhang Ruochen remained cautious. "As far as I know, eight hundred years ago, the Brahma Heaven Path was the most powerful branch of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Path. At that time, the master of the Brahma Heaven Path, whose Dharma name was 'Zhaoxi,' surpassed even the master of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Path in Buddhist cultivation. He was called the number one figure in Buddhism, known to the outside world as the 'Buddha Emperor.'"
"Correct." Monk Lidi nodded.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Do you know who I am?"
Monk Lidi nodded again. "The Buddha Emperor's heir, Zhang Ruochen."
Zhang Ruochen said, "So, you came specifically to find me?"
Monk Lidi said, "This humble monk was ordered by the Path Master to come down the mountain and invite Benefactor Zhang to visit the Brahma Heaven Path."
Zhang Ruochen picked up his wine cup, playing with it between his fingers. "What exactly is your purpose? Speak frankly."
Monk Lidi squeezed out another smile and got straight to the point. "The Path Master said that the Buddha Emperor's relic is ultimately a sacred object of the Brahma Heaven Path. The Brahma Heaven Path is willing to exchange it with Benefactor Zhang for even more precious treasures. Of course, Benefactor Zhang may also become a monk in the Brahma Heaven Path and become a disciple. Then, the Buddha Emperor's relic would still belong to Benefactor Zhang."
Zhang Ruochen showed an expression of "just as I thought." "What if I choose neither path?"
Monk Lidi pondered for a moment. "Then this humble monk can only follow by Benefactor Zhang's side until Benefactor Zhang makes a choice."
Zhang Ruochen said, "If I'm not mistaken, your cultivation is also at the Heavenly Extreme Realm Great Perfection. Are you sure you can keep up with me?"
"Benefactor Zhang, aren't you also at the Heavenly Extreme Realm Great Perfection?" Monk Lidi said with a simple smile.
Zhang Ruochen became somewhat interested in this monk. He smiled. "But I am number one on the *Heavenly List*. Master, aren't you being too confident?"
"Being number one on the *Heavenly List* doesn't necessarily mean being invincible under heaven," Monk Lidi said with a laugh.
Zhang Ruochen wanted to test this monk's strength. He mobilized his true qi and executed the sixth palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, the Divine Dragon Tribulation.
Electric light flickered from his palm, and he struck out with a palm from a distance.
However, since he didn't yet know whether the other party was friend or foe, Zhang Ruochen didn't want to hurt anyone, so he only used one-tenth of his power.
"Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm."
Monk Lidi smiled and slowly raised his palm.
As his palm rose, Monk Lidi's entire body turned crimson red, like a red-hot human-shaped iron block, as if a blazing sun were contained within him, radiating scorching light.
"The seventh palm of the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Palm, Dragon-Elephant Divine Furnace."
Monk Lidi struck out with his palm, meeting Zhang Ruochen's palm imprint.
*Bang!*
Zhang Ruochen's body, along with the bench he sat on, slid backward three meters.
Monk Lidi, however, remained seated, completely unmoving. He slowly withdrew his palm and recited a Buddhist greeting: "Amitabha!"
Zhang Ruochen's right arm hung limp, completely numb, with a sharp pain coming from his shoulder.
In that palm clash just now, his arm had been dislocated by the opponent's strike.
One must know that when Zhang Ruochen realized the opponent's power was formidable, he immediately activated his true qi at full force and struck with one hundred percent of his strength.
But as he grew stronger, the opponent also grew stronger.
In the end, Zhang Ruochen's arm was dislocated, while Monk Lidi remained completely unharmed. Clearly, Monk Lidi hadn't even used his full power just now.
"Impressive!"
Zhang Ruochen endured the pain and reattached his dislocated arm himself. He stared at the monk sitting across from him, his expression unchanged. "That power just now couldn't have been possessed by a Heavenly Extreme Realm martial artist."
Monk Lidi nodded. "This humble monk has cultivated a secret technique called 'Rebirth and Transformation.' After the Buddha Emperor died, he left behind not only a relic but also a golden body. That golden body has now merged with this humble monk. Of course, the golden body is just a shell—aside from granting greater strength, it's utterly useless. This humble monk only wanted to tell Benefactor Zhang that I am also a Buddha Emperor heir. By that reckoning, we could be considered fellow disciples!"
Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath and smiled. "There is always a sky beyond the sky, and people beyond people. Being number one on the *Heavenly List* indeed doesn't mean being the strongest."
"I have a question. Master, with your strength, since you've already become number one on the Yellow List, number one on the Profound List, and number one on the Earth List, why don't you compete for number one on the Heavenly List?"
Monk Lidi shook his head and smiled. "This humble monk is still tempering his mind. I fear I cannot withstand such temptation."
Zhang Ruochen asked, "What temptation?"
"The temptation of the Heavenly Extreme Realm Supreme Extreme Realm."
Monk Lidi said, "Achieving number one on the Heavenly List grants over ten million military merit points. One more step leads to the Supreme Extreme Realm. Who among cultivators doesn't wish to reach the Supreme Extreme Realm? This humble monk's foundation is shallow, and my Buddhist heart is not firm. I'm afraid I cannot withstand such temptation."
Zhang Ruochen said, "Since you want to strive for the Supreme Extreme Realm, why suppress yourself? Follow your heart's desire."
Monk Lidi closed his eyes. "No killing. No killing."
Zhang Ruochen understood!
To reach the Supreme Extreme Realm of the Heavenly Extreme Realm, one would certainly need to slaughter Ruins Realm natives on a large scale to accumulate military merit points.
For those in the Buddhist path, killing is a great taboo.
Once the precept against killing is broken, one might easily fall into the demonic path.
It was precisely because the temptation of the Heavenly Extreme Realm Supreme Extreme Realm was so great that Monk Lidi dared not compete for number one on the Heavenly List. The closer one got to the Supreme Extreme Realm, the greater the temptation.
Of course, even if Monk Lidi truly wanted to compete for number one on the Heavenly List, Zhang Ruochen wouldn't necessarily lose to him.
After all, they had only compared palm strength just now, while Zhang Ruochen's strongest aspect was the sword path.
Even if Monk Lidi had merged with the Buddha Emperor's golden body, achieving a "diamond-indestructible, imperishable and immortal" physical form, there would definitely be a weak point, a flaw. Zhang Ruochen still had a chance to win.
Monk Lidi put away that Buddhist bead. Instantly, all the Sanskrit characters disappeared, and the noisy sounds of the tavern returned.
They were still in the tavern, still sitting on opposite sides of the table, but no one had noticed that Zhang Ruochen and Monk Lidi had already exchanged blows.
Monk Lidi said seriously, "Benefactor Zhang, what have you decided? Which path will you choose? Will you exchange the relic with the Brahma Heaven Path, or will you become a monk in the Brahma Heaven Path? If Benefactor Zhang chooses the latter, this humble monk is willing to take the position of junior disciple and yield the position of chief Buddha son of the Brahma Heaven Path to you."
Zhang Ruochen showed a bitter smile.
First of all, Zhang Ruochen could not exchange the relic with the Brahma Heaven Path, because the relic was still very useful to him.
To quickly improve his cultivation and catch up to Chi Yao, he needed to borrow the power of the relic.
Secondly, he certainly could not become a monk.
But if he didn't make a choice, how could he get rid of Monk Lidi?
Just then, a loud laugh rang out in the tavern: "What kind of romantic figure am I? Zhang Ruochen, number one on the *Heavenly List*, is the true romantic figure. I heard that after the Orange Moon Star Envoy of the Black Market First Class Hall was captured, he tamed her into a bed plaything, and she has to serve him every night. That's a kingdom-toppling, city-charming Star Envoy! Just thinking about it makes one envious."
"Really? Is Zhang Ruochen that bold? He dares to touch the heavenly daughter of the Black Market First Class Hall?"
"Absolutely true. Otherwise, why hasn't he left his room these past few days? If not for this reason, he would have long gone to accumulate military merit points and strive for the Supreme Extreme Realm."
"Sigh! The boudoir is the hero's grave. Who would have thought Zhang Ruochen was such a lecher?"
"Zhang Ruochen is still a man after all. What man can remain unmoved by beauty?"
...
Hearing the crowd's words, Monk Lidi looked at Zhang Ruochen with a strange expression, as if re-evaluating him.
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly and looked toward the person who had just spoken, wanting to see who was spreading such rumors.
...
(Chapter 517 was written too hastily. There were some errors regarding the five elements transformation. It has already been revised.)
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