Wayfarer

Chapter 627: I Would Resist the Heavens a Million Times Over for the Common People

The fortune of Dayin drained rapidly, causing the defensive formation around the capital to grow weaker and weaker. It began to crack in pieces and patches.

The subordinates to Yin Shenhua's back panicked. Yin Shenhua himself had nothing but hatred and anger remaining. He had worked hard all these years to carve out his own territory—but all that was about to be destroyed.

"Your Majesty, what do we do?" his subordinates shouted.

Yin Shenhua ignored them. He flew out of the defensive formation.

Rather than wait for it to be destroyed, it would be better for him to take the lead instead.

He appeared high in the air, facing the cultivators to the south.

Xiao Nanfeng, the Venerable Buddha, Ao Canghai, and the eleven Martial Aspects had all gathered by the peak of a mountain to watch Yin Shenhua as he flew out of his city.

"Dayin's fortune is all but lost. Even if Yin Shenhua tries to manipulate it, it won't grant him much strength. Ao Canghai, we can attack Yin Shenhua now," the Venerable Buddha announced.

Ao Canghai paused for a moment. "There are cultivators from various forces hidden in the darkness, even Boundless Immortals among them. If we take on Yin Shenhua together, those with malicious intent might attack us."

The Venerable Buddha glanced disdainfully at Ao Canghai. "Then you may guard the surroundings while I take on Yin Shenhua."

Ao Canghai was taken aback. Although that was his intention, the fact that the Venerable Buddha was saying so directly left him discomfited.

Xiao Nanfeng, too, watched on from the side. He knew that Ao Canghai was simply trying to trick the Venerable Buddha into fighting against Yin Shenhua alone so that it could claim a greater share of the rewards once both parties were weakened.

"Xiao Nanfeng, die!" Yin Shenhua roared.

Everyone looked toward Xiao Nanfeng, including the cultivators skulking about in the forest, who were taken by surprise.

After all, Yin Shenhua should have been most bitter about the Venerable Buddha and Ao Canghai. Why was he only calling Xiao Nanfeng out? Everyone suddenly came to the revelation all at once: Xiao Nanfeng was the one who had destroyed the divine empire of Dayin, and Yin Shenhua hated him most of all out of anyone present.

The Venerable Buddha took a deep breath. "Xiao Nanfeng, protect yourself."

It shot into the air and faced off against Yin Shenhua.

Afar, Yin Shenhua narrowed his eyes. Though he hated Xiao Nanfeng, he could identify who the real threats to him were.

"Isn't Ao Canghai going to attack me alongside you? He really is as petty as always. No wonder he didn't dare make a fuss when he was chased out of the Southern Sea Draconic Palace. How laughable he is—he has no guts," Yin Shenhua said, staring disdainfully at Ao Canghai.

Countless gazes followed Yun Shenhua's and rested on Ao Canghai, instantly angering him—though he didn't take the bait.

Then. Yin Shenhua turned to the Venerable Buddha. He addressed it coldly. "Venerable Buddha, it's been eighty thousand years since we last met. Are you going to keep presenting yourself as the old man that the Past Buddha was?"

"And so what if I'm an old man? My appearance is superfluous; it doesn't matter how I present myself," the Venerable Buddha replied coldly.

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Yin Shenhua shook his head. "Hardly. If not for your appearance, would the ten Buddha Emperors have chosen to submit to you? Do you think so many would have been besotted with you if you showed yourself as an old man? The Venerable Buddha, supreme cultivator of her era, should hardly hide her own appearance after eighty thousand years."

The Venerable Buddha considered Yin Shenhua's argument for a moment before black fog sprayed from its body. The Past Buddha's appearance receded away, revealing a woman clad in black veils. She held a seal in one hand and a Buddhist relic in another. The image of a jade bottle seemed to appear over her palms. Her bearing was graceful and elegant, her features exquisite, her eyes like deep pools, placid and merciful.

The sudden transformation left the hidden onlookers gasping. They had seen beauties before, of course, but never one who seemed to harbor such deep compassion, one that seemed beyond the realm of humanity. Many felt the compulsion to bow, to join her service.

"Venerable Buddha of Benevolence and Compassion, if only you had agreed to be my empress eighty thousand years ago! You would hardly have died such a tragic death then," Yin Shenhua called out.

"You don't deserve me," the Venerable Buddha replied.

"Indeed? And does Xiao Nanfeng? You remain by his side, waging war against the world. Do you think he deserves you?" Yin Shenhua's words were shot through with envy.

"I helped Xiao Nanfeng not because of whether or not he deserves me, but because what he does is worth my support. He knows of the ails of the world, and treats every citizen like he would his own children. All are the same before him. This is no deceit, but a reflection of his mentality. All are equal; any difference results from a difference in background, in upbringing. As for you, you believe in innate castes. The common people are only food for your kind, mere livestock," the Venerable Buddha criticized.

"Is he so saintly?" Yin Shenhua demanded.

"That he is charitable at all suffices compared to your evil," the Venerable Buddha retorted.

"Oh? And has he not killed his fair share of people?" Yin Shenhua demanded.

"Those he killed deserved to die. He killed to save; you kill to kill. You think of yourself as heavenly beings segregated from the common people—and yet, if the heavens are unjust, the heavens themselves should perish."

"I should think you're the stubborn one. Natural law separates heaven and earth. You go against natural law and deserve to be killed," Yin Shenhua exclaimed.

The heavens are the heavens; the world is the world. The world is not subject to heavenly law, but natural law. A lucky cultivator who rises to worldly domination and engages in slavery, in mortal destruction, is but a demon. As people of the world, instead of ridding the world of demons, you instead clad yourself in demonic influence. Shameless, I say. For the good of the world, for the lives of the people, for the birth of heroes far and wide, I am willing to wield a sword against the demons of heaven, against those hypnotized by demonic influence! My life for the world!" the Venerable Buddha exclaimed.

Radiant light emanated from the Venerable Buddha's back, forming the image of a giant dozens of kilometers tall.

The giant began to absorb spiritual aether from all over the world as its image materialized into reality. A fearsome aura was released from its body, shocking the cultivators all around.

Yin Shenhua blanched. "How can you control your Rulai eidolon so quickly after having reached the realm of a Boundless Immortal?"

He too waved a hand. Radiant light emanated from his body as a giant eidolon, kilometers tall, manifested in reality. It began sucking up spiritual aether from his side of the battlefield.

Neither party made the first move. Perhaps they were both so aware of each other's techniques that they knew that the only way they could restrain the other would be with these Rulai eidola.

Yin Shenhua's Rulai eidolon took on the shape of a golden Buddha, like the ancestral Buddha statues of monasteries and temples. It radiated with divine golden light. As it stepped across the air, the sound of scripture rang out. It possessed a holy majesty, as though it would stand invincible against the world.

The Venerable Buddha's Rulai eidolon was a dignified Buddha veiled in black, a seal in its right hand and a jade bottle in its left. Its mien was one of compassion, as though it was sympathizing with the evils of the world. The cultivators couldn't help but feel a sense of piety upon gazing at it.

The two Rulai eidola were awash in strength, and even seemed to dwarf the cultivators themselves. One gave off blinding golden light; the other, unfathomable shadowy light.

Yin Shenhua retreated and melded into his Rulai eidolon, as did the Venerable Buddha.

The two eidola seemed suddenly to come alive. They struck at one another, one's features contorted in malice, the other's in compassion.

A flaming tempest surrounded them as they fought each other.

Roiling waves of energy surged across their surroundings, causing the land to vibrate and rumble as they fought.

The Martial Aspects down below blanched at the sight of the fighting.

"So these are what Buddhist eidola look like..."

"These Rulai eidola boast incredible strength. If they were to attack us, we'd surely die instantly!"

"As expected of the supreme cultivator of eighty thousand years past. They're ridiculously strong!"

The Martial Aspects marveled at the incredible display of power.

Everyone was staring at the sky even as they were on guard against attacks from external forces.

Suddenly, beams of starlight shot across the air—Golden Immortal cursed effigies, rushing to Dayin's capital from afar. They were the Buddhas and bodhisattvas who had been guarding Dayin's scant remaining Immortal cities before Yin Shenhua had recalled them. As they arrived, they quickly flew toward the capital.

Zhang Lingjun had appeared as well. She landed by Xiao Nanfeng's side.

"What are you doing here? Didn't I ask you to hide?" Xiao Nanfeng stared at Zhang Lingjun in surprise.

Zhang Lingjun shook her head. "Yin Shenhua killed my mother in the past. I want to be here when he dies."

"It's too dangerous! Yin Shenhua isn't the only enemy. There are other Immortal Emperors lying in wait in the darkness," Xiao Nanfeng worried.

"The Taiqing Grandmaster had me come. He wanted to see how the Venerable Buddha fought," Zhang Lingjun continued.

She left something unsaid: she had chosen to come primarily because she was worried for Xiao Nanfeng's safety. Protected by her praying mat as she was, she might be able to lend Xiao Nanfeng some aid if danger arose.

"Very well," Xiao Nanfeng said, sighing. "Follow me closely."

Zhang Lingjun nodded.

The cultivators watched the fight in the sky unfold earnestly. The two Rulai eidola struck each other with such force that flames and howling winds blew around them, surrounding them with elemental force.

The two supreme cultivators seemed evenly matched. They fought that way for an entire day and a night, with no resolution to be found.

"Eastern Aspect, will you assist the Venerable Buddha?" Xiao Nanfeng asked Ao Canghai.

Ao Canghai shook his head. "The Venerable Buddha isn't on the losing end of things and doesn't require my assistance. What's more, over the past day, even more cultivators have snuck into the forests around us to witness the fight. I need to be on guard to ensure that no accidents occur as before."

Xiao Nanfeng frowned in annoyance. "Though there are a great deal of hidden cultivators, they don't dare strike at all. If you don't lend your assistance to the Venerable Buddha now, Eastern Aspect, you might lose this opportunity to take Yin Shenhua down altogether."

"I need no instruction from you," Ao Canghai retorted acidly.

Xiao Nanfeng sighed.

Just then, the two great eidola smashed into each other and stumbled apart. The Venerable Buddha's eidolon suddenly seemed to transform. Its pair of arms multiplied over and over again.

"The Thousand Palms of Rulai!" the Venerable Buddha invoked.

A thousand arms struck Yin Shenhua's eidolon all at once, sending it flying. It fell from the skies and landed on the ground in a huge crater that spawned earthquakes all around.

"Has the Venerable Buddha won?" everyone exclaimed in shock.