Estranged - Chapter 91

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Too hurriedly?

Chun Chi was silently gazing at the distant You Capital.

There was a very auspicious relief at the capital. It was hidden by the plantlife of the mountain, which were nourished by spiritual energy. Forget autumn, even in the bitter cold of winter, the vegetation still flourished vividly.

Looking at the You Capital from all the way here, they could see the burning ash mixed into the bright scarlet sky. Black fires were kindling in a city that now resembled a hell filled with demons.

“Too hurriedly.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Ghost King Linghu You was originally an excellent chess piece, yet you hurried to move him, and drove him towards Jiufang Changming. Therefore, there’s another variable on the chessboard now,” said the person in black robes, who showed no trace of politeness. It seemed that the two of them were familiar with each other, so there was no need to speak in polite remarks.

“But Linghu You won’t affect the entire setup. The outcome won’t change, whether he’s here or not,” said the monk in white. He looked like an immortal, and his feet seemed to be [treading on fine dust]. The lower half of his body was almost translucent, as if it could disappear at any minute.

A young Buddhist monk rushed over, tidying up his robes and burning with impatience.

“Leader, shishu Shouhe is asking for help in the palace! He said that evil ghosts have besieged them, and he won’t be able to hold on for too long!”

The Imperial Palaces of each country had cultivators garrisoning them throughout the entire year. The You Capital was not an exception. You worshiped Buddhism, so the cultivators in the Imperial Palace all came from the Wanlian Buddhist Temple. Shouhe and Leader Chunchi belonged to the same generation, and their cultivation bases were fathomless. They kept guard in the Imperial Palace and protected the imperial family.

The young Buddhist monk had initially thought that the moment he delivered the news, the leader would immediately dispatch someone to his shishu’s aid. However, after some time had passed, he heard no answer. He raised his head silently and saw Chunchi looking at the distant city-gate tower wordlessly, as if he had not heard the monk.

The person in the dark near the leader was tightly wrapped in robes. Perhaps, even if a fierce gale sprang up, it still would not have managed to lift the hems of these clothes. No matter how attentively the young monk was peeking at the person, he saw nothing.

“No need to interfere.”

He heard the leader say.

The young monk froze. Chunchi shot an uncaring glance at him, and the monk did not dare to say more, leaving them without delay.

After taking a few steps, he could not help his curiosity and stealthily turned around to take a look.

He regretted this decision till his death.

Or, it was better to say that his life had ended right there. The expression on the young monk’s face was aghast. He wanted to retreat, but his body fell onto the ground weakly, and his breath was lost forever.

A thread of black qi drilled out from his nostril and returned to Chunchi’s sleeve.

From the beginning till the end, Chunchi and the person in black clothes had not moved a bit.

“You are cruel even towards your own people,” the person in black robes said.

“Since the moment I decided to partake in this matter, I have already set foot on a path of no return. You can even easily endure the death of all of your disciples, why say such things about me?”

Chunchi’s expression was indifferent, and his intonation was detached. A gust of wind had picked up, but it soon dispersed without a trace.

The You Capital, protected by the Wanlian Buddhist Temple, had plunged into chaos, but he seemed like a bystander who regarded this matter as if it did not concern him. It was impossible to imagine him as the first person to bury the funerary statues of the dead.

The first person to bury the funerary statues of the dead: originator of smth bad

“I’ve always been preparing for this day.”

After the long years under the emperor’s rule, the custom of worshiping Buddhism had been entrenched in the country of You. During the time of any festival, the common people would always visit a Buddhist temple to burn some incense, especially the You Capital. Even if it was not the fifteenth, more than enough people were always crowding at the foot of the mountain of the Wanlian Buddhist Temple. High-ranking officials and noble persons asked for wealth and rank, while the common folks wished for timely wind and rain. Everyone wanted to obtain something, and after a long period of time, their faith had gathered around the Buddhist temple, solidifying into a kind of incorporeal force that was nourishing the temple.

The fifteenth: of any month: the day to offer sacrifices to the gods

No one could have guessed that what the people of the You Capital had been earnestly supporting all these years was actually a giant beast that would turn against them to swallow them.

“Where did you find so many evil ghosts?” asked the person in black clothes, who was a bit curious.

“The hearts of humans,” Chunchi said, “Humans’ hearts contain boundless desires. Even when people die, their desires won’t dissipate. To obtain what they can’t have, they will only engrave it deeper into their thoughts. Even cultivators can’t control their inner demons, let alone the ordinary people.”

The person in black clothes suddenly smiled: “Are you referring to Yun Weisi, or to yourself?”

Chunchi said apathetically: “In this world of passions, who is an exception? Even you are not. If you hadn’t become a demon because of an obsession, would you have reached this point?”

The black-clothed person thought for a while, and then nodded: “You are completely right. But the You Capital is very populated. What will happen to you after all of this?”

His intonation was not inquiring. He was not implying that he blamed Chunchi for treating human life as no more than grass, but was simply asking what would become of the Wanlian Buddhist Temple.

“Sun Buku is already in the You Capital. The Qingyun School won’t just sit and watch you act like this. The Celestial Abode Shenxiao will also notice it sooner or later, so one day, every great sect will join forces to suppress you. That will be troublesome for you.”

“They won’t have a chance.”

Chunchi looked at the enormous red lotus that had appeared in the center of the city. Bursts of golden light erupted around, confronting the red lotus.

The Eight Sages of Wanlian were fighting against Sun Buku.

Although Sun Buku was strong, the Eight Sages of Wanlian did not fall behind, and their coordination was almost impeccable.

If there had been no Qingyun School near Sun Buku, he would be like a tiger with no claws and fangs, allowing himself to be trampled upon.

And the Celestial Abode Shenxiao—

“After the battle on the Sacred Mountain Wan, it has been difficult for the major sects to work together again. The Celestial Abode Shenxiao has been silent for many years. Right now, except for Fu Dongyuan and several other old bastards, the others won’t pose a problem, thanks to you. If you hadn’t gathered them back then, having more than half of them killed or wounded, today, if I wanted to do something, I’d have had to plan more carefully.”

The man in black sighed: “Is the Buddhist Leader mocking me? I was too naive at that time. At first, I thought that everything would go smoothly right after I opened that gap on the Sacred Mountain Wan. Who knew that halfway through, Jiufang Changming, this unknown variable, would stop playing by my rules. But it’s fine either way. I learnt a lesson from the bitter experience of the failure on the Sacred Mountain Wan. Now, our great plan will be achieved. Jiufang Changming has sent himself to our doors. Isn’t that wonderful?”

Chunchi frowned slightly: “It seems that you don’t attach much importance to Jiufang Changming.”

The person in black shook his head: “He is indeed a formidable opponent in one-on-one battle, but he has no sect to rely on. No matter how powerful he is, his strength is limited if he is alone. Moreover, he is worse now than he used to be in the past.”

Chunchi said: “As far as I know, you schemed against him on the Sacred Mountain Wan, and as a result, his immortal souls almost flew away while his mortal forms were nearly dispersed. But, contrary to everyone’s expectations, he managed to overcome it and returned, ruining your formations one by one. How can you say he’s worse than before?”

The man in black: “He used to have no weaknesses, yet now he does. He knows for sure that this place is a trap, but he insisted on hurrying over here just because of Zhou Keyi. In my opinion, that is not a wise move. Foolish is as foolish does. This one thing alone is enough to stop him from breaking through a bottleneck to the next cultivation realm. Moreover, he is with Yun Weisi now.”

Chunchi: “Yun Weisi is a strong opponent as well.”

The man in black smiled: “No. Yun Weisi will help you.”

Chunchi tilted his head, revealing a puzzled expression.

However, the man in black did not explain much. He turned around.

“I’ll go first. I wish you the best, Leader. Your actual body is still in slumber, and supporting incarnations is obviously not an easy task. You shouldn’t stay here, and should return earlier.”

“Sorry for not sending you off.”

Chunchi did not turn his head, looking at the You Capital with his hands clasped behind his back.

He was looking at everything he saw almost avidly, since usually he had no way to go out.

If nothing went wrong today, hundreds of thousands of evil ghosts would devour the entire You Capital. The aggrieved ghosts who had no way to vent their anger on their unjust deaths was the best material possible for refining a Soul Gathering Pearl.

He was wondering whether now, when the human world was overturned, and turned into a hell haunted with demons, would there be a deity in the boundless sky to take a step forward?

In the depths of Chunchi’s indifferent eyes, a wave rose, as if a stone had fallen into the water, raising ripples on the surface.

“You are in control of one of the two major Buddhist clans, yet you don’t believe in Buddhas. I am in control of the biggest clan in the world, yet I don’t believe in deities. Ignorant fools deem that the world is vast, yet they can’t take half a step forward throughout their lives. You and I will overturn the world, only to pave a path of blood for the sake of humanity. What’s the use of highly-talented people like Jiufang Changming? In the end, they are shortsighted like tiny rats, nobodies like ants!”

The man in black smiled broadly and turned around to leave.

Chunchi suddenly said: “Have you dreamed of Chi Bijiang lately?”

The man in black stopped, but did not say anything.

Chuchi repeated his question.

The man in black finally took off his hood, revealing his face.

If there was anyone here beside the two of them, that person would have surely been surprised, since this person was none other than Jiang Li, the master of the Wanjian Immortal Clan.

The corners of Jiang Li’s smiling mouth lowered a bit.

“Why are you asking this?”

“Recently, whenever I enter a meditative state, I always see her. She doesn’t say anything, and only stands in the distance watching me, as if she has something to say. However, if I ask her whether there is anything she hasn’t finished and wants to be done, she only shakes her head and disappears,” Chunchi seemed to have dismissed his reaction, “Afterwards, I thought that she doesn’t want to see me in particular, and only wants me to pass on the news since she can’t enter your dreams. Palace Master Chi was passionately devoted to you. Unfortunately, a heart obsessed with love won’t last, and a genius will certainly suffer.”

“I never expected a person detached from mortal affairs to sigh with emotion like this. Everyone says that Qingyun cultivate their hearts, and Wanlian cultivate their bodies. Since when has the Wanlian Buddhist Temple started to cultivate their hearts?” Jiang Li put on his hood again, “I should go. I believe that our long-awaited ambition will finally be satisfied not long after today. I will be truly disappointed if something goes wrong on your side.”

As soon as the last word was said, a white light appeared, gathering into a cloud that enveloped the man in black.

Black clouds were rolling in above the You Capital, and the red lotuses were burning fiercely. The clouds shone red, reflecting the lotuses.

Everything was moving in the set direction.

Chunchi glanced at the young monk lying on the ground, and sighed slightly. Just as he was going to pick him up, he suddenly froze, looking at the direction he had come from, as if listening to something. In a short while, he flicked his fingertips, and his half-transparent figure had vanished completely. He even disregarded the monk on the ground.

…

Changming had found a breach in the formation of the Wanlian Buddhist Temple.

He felt that this time he was finally right.

Since the moment he had entered the You Capital, they had started fighting in the open.

Before entering the Wanlian Buddhist Temple, Hé Qingmo and Changming had set sixty-four formations of different sizes throughout the You Capital as if it was a chessboard.

Some of these formations were decorations, some were traps, while some of them attracted no attention, but would play an important role in the future. They were scattered like stars all over the city.

This battle was bound to be onerous.

Their single effort to tame dozens of enemies was far from enough to solve the matter. The opponents that had shown themselves were only the first step of their enemies’ trap, something to lure Changming into the game. Buddhists stressed the saying, “Everything in the world is merely an illusion, and one should see through appearances”. Naturally, they also like setting layers of illusionary worlds to trap their enemies.

Changming felt that the appearance of Shengjue was a key, and the doors would only open after he was killed, letting them learn something about the formation of the Wanlian Buddhist Temple.

As expected, the Eight Sages of Wanlian appeared after Shengjue. They were way stronger than Shengjue, hiding under the stage for so many years without showing themselves and thus fooling the world.

Just now, while the Eight Sages of Wanlian were fighting against Sun Buku, Changming sensed a trace of an unusual energy.

It was coming from the northeast side of the You Capital.

Although their enemies had cast an escape-proof net all over the place, even the most intricate trap would have a flaw. The flaw was revealed the moment the Golden Glass Beads Staff appeared. Sun Buku had backed the Eight Sages into a corner with its overwhelming might, and made their beliefs shatter, which also affected the formation around the You Capital. Even though it only lasted a moment, this moment felt like thousands of strings were being plucked by someone. However, pulling one hair would make the whole body move. Changming had noticed it at once.

He and Yun Weisi followed this trail immediately.

It was an inexplicably mysterious and abstruse realm, as if it was using the heavenly bodies themselves. He knew for sure which ones of them had shone brightly all of a sudden, and which ones had fallen down in a meteor shower. He was like a chess player who had already reached a certain level of expertise where he could play the game with his eyes closed. He did not need to use eyes to see what step his opponent was taking, or where he himself put his legs. The chessboard was already deep in his heart, and every single nook of it was brightly lit.

Changming felt that at this moment, his cultivation had advanced. Since the day he had transferred the spiritual powers of the Sifei Sword to Yun Weisi, he had not hoped to break through for some time, and did not expect to get a chance like this under such circumstances.

However, the situation at hand was still troublesome. They had only found a breach, yet the enemy had not appeared. That was what Changming wanted to say.

What the two of them were looking at now was a massive lotus pond.

Clusters of lotuses were blooming in the pond, as if it was the middle of summer.

But the lotuses were not the regular pink or red ones—instead, they looked as if they were made of stone, and their shapes were unrefined and stained. They were slowly moving, as if alive.

Two copper pillars stood in the middle of the pond and a man was tied to them with an iron chain.

The lower half of his body had been submerged into the water, and the lotuses had surrounded him. His head was lowered, and there was no telling whether he was still alive.

It was Zhou Keyi.

Changming was not in a hurry to go over. He looked around, searching for an anomaly about the lotus pond.

“Distinguished guests, you have come from afar. Welcome,” Zhou Keyi said slowly, raising his head. His face was sallow, and his voice was hoarse, yet his tone was obviously different from his usual one.

“Are you satisfied with the scenery?”

“It’s vast in territory and abundant in resources, and has everything one might imagine, as expected of the Wanlian Buddhist Temple, which is one of the two major Buddhist clans. It’s just that having Fozun Shengjue’s life as a greeting gift is a bit too pompous. Leader Chunchi is very sincere and kind, which makes one feel very apologetic,” Changming said unhurriedly.

Zhou Keyi’s expression was eager, and his eyes had turned bloodshot. Yet the tone of his voice completely contrasted his expression, sounding surprised and somewhat delighted.

“Oh? How did Immortal Jiufang guess it was me?”

“Everyone says that the strongest one in terms of martial arts in the Wanlian Buddhist Temple is Shengjue. But, even after so many years have passed, his cultivation is only slightly better than that of a master, not even reaching the grandmaster’s level. A person like that can’t control the Wanlian Buddhist Temple. The only possible answer is that the sect had to put someone on the frontline as a puppet, while the actual owner would never show their face, hiding himself while not eating the food of common mortals, and only meditating wholeheartedly, which is what Leader Chunchi is good at. Say, am I right, Leader Chunchi?”

Not eating the food of common mortals: placing oneself above the common people

Zhou Keyi sighed faintly.

“I still remember the year I saw Immortal Jiufang for the first time. You were standing on the peak of a mountain, looking down on the crowd of cultivators like myself, haughty and insufferably arrogant, with a mind unperturbed by trifles. Everyone had to bow their heads in your presence. I’d have never thought that even Immortal Jiufang would learn how to deliberate carefully on minor details after all these years.”

“Humans are prone to change. Time hasn’t worn down my lofty aspirations, yet it made me more good-tempered,” Changming smiled, “Otherwise, if it was still myself from the past, after I’ve seen you treat my disciple like this, I’d have torn your body into shreds without saying a second word. Why would I waste so much time on useless talk?”

Zhou Keyi opened his eyes wide, as if trying to gain control over his own body. Because of the pressure, his body trembled, and the iron chain made a sound as well.

But, even though his eyes had turned red, and his mouth was opening and closing, he could not make a sound, only trying to relay something to Changming through his moving lips.

Don’t come over, run! 

The author has something to say:

A small scene unrelated to the main plot:

Yun Weisi: Zhou Keyi and Sun Buku fell into the water at the same time. Whom will you save?

Changming: Both are rebellious disciples, why would I save them?

Yun Weisi: Then Yun Hai and Yun Weisi fell into the water at the same time. Whom will you save?

Changming: ?