“Buddhist Sect’s Enlightenment-Stopping Buddha Child pays respect to the Human Emperor!”
“Confucian Sect’s Wang Bian pays respect to the Human Emperor!”
The Enlightenment-Stopping Buddha Child and Wang Bian were both extremely excited. They immediately bowed deeply, even more reverently than they would toward their own masters. As the strongest being in the entire Nine Provinces, Jiang Li was the idol of every cultivator of the younger generation.
In this age where ascension was no longer possible, the greatest goal one could dream of was to become someone like Jiang Li. Jiang Li activated a sound barrier so the other passengers on the spirit airship could not hear.
These two knew who he was and would keep their composure, but if everyone else learned his identity, they would definitely swarm around him again. He felt like a celebrity from his previous lifetime—having to wear sunglasses just to take a walk in a shopping street, afraid someone would recognize him.
“You only know how to fight with spells, almost let yourselves fall into delusion and stepped onto a heretical path!”
Jiang Li scolded the two young men in a tone befitting an elder. The two, who had moments ago looked so valiant, immediately lowered their heads and admitted fault, promising never to repeat the mistake. Seeing their attitude, Jiang Li said nothing more.
“You two are also going to attend the Dao Sect’s Immortal Artifact Appreciation Assembly? What about your masters? Why did they only send the two of you to represent your sects?”
“My master said he is currently at a critical stage in comprehending the Dao of Space, and cannot split his attention, so he sent me instead,” replied the Buddha Child calmly.
Jiang Li nodded. So, the Old Sumeru Buddha had advanced even further in the Dao of Space. Wang Bian hesitated for a moment, then said, “My master said... whenever he sees the Dao Sect Master, he gets angry...”
“So he sent you to attend in his place?”
Jiang Li chuckled. He knew very well that the Confucian Sect Master and the Dao Sect Master bore personal grudges against each other. The Confucian Sect Master preached the Doctrine of Innate Goodness—he strove tirelessly to teach an entire nation to become gentlemen, to never pocket a lost coin.
Then, in his arrogance, he bragged about it before the Dao Sect Master. The Dao Sect Master had just smiled, took out a handful of supreme-grade spirit stones, and tossed them by the road. The once-polite crowd instantly lunged forward to snatch them.
The look on the Confucian Sect Master’s face had darkened like thunder.
“No,” Wang Bian shook his head, “he said he wanted to secretly come see for himself how an immortal artifact refines itself. He told me to go in his place openly, while he sneaks in hiding.”
“…Your master truly has his own ways.”
What Jiang Li actually wanted to say was—wasn’t his master worried that such deceit would shatter that Dao Heart of Vast Righteous Qi of his? Jiang Li changed the subject.
“And what do you plan to do with that eagle demon?”
“Please instruct us, Human Emperor Jiang.”
Jiang Li laughed.
“It’s your catch. Of course it’s your problem. Why ask me?”
The Buddha Child folded his palms.
“This humble monk believes compassion is most important. How about releasing it?”
Hearing this, the eagle demon hurriedly blurted out, “The Buddha Child truly is a great and virtuous one! When I return home, I’ll build an Eternal Life Shrine for you! I’ll ensure endless incense offerings!”
Wang Bian shook his head.
“Let it go? So it can rob more airships? Better to kill it.”
The Buddha Child was tempted by the logic but still hesitated.
“But it hasn’t killed anyone. Wouldn’t killing it be too harsh a punishment?”
“That’s right, that’s right! I’ve never killed anyone!”
The eagle demon hurriedly cried out, terrified these two would kill first and talk later. He glanced at the Buddha Child’s expression. Despite calling himself a monk, the youth didn’t seem free of killing intent.
Was this what counted as a disciple of the Buddhist Sect? The Buddha Child was torn. Logically speaking, the eagle demon’s words could easily be lies; but how could he kill someone just because he suspected deceit?
If he killed wrongly, his tranquil state of mind would become tainted with dust. Wang Bian took out a Great Scholar Scripture Slip and wrote a single word—“Truth.” He slapped the slip onto the eagle demon.
“Have you killed anyone?”
“No.” “You only rob spirit stones from airships, but you don’t kill?”
“No.” Wang Bian turned to the Buddha Child.
“The ‘Truth Scripture Slip’ I used just now compels him to speak only truth. If he says he hasn’t killed, then it seems he really hasn’t. Doesn’t seem worthy of death. Let’s release him.”
The Buddha Child nodded.
“Very well.”
Just as the eagle demon thought it would escape with its life, Jiang Li suddenly asked, “Have you two considered something? Once it robs the airships of their spirit stones, can those airships still fly?”
“Eh!?”
The two immediately froze. Indeed—although the eagle demon never killed with its own claws, after stealing the spirit stones, an airship lost its source of spiritual energy. Without the spirit stones, the cultivators aboard lacked enough spiritual power to control the descent.
Even if they managed to land safely, they would most likely end up in the territories of the Baize Imperial Dynasty. And the fate awaiting a group of exhausted cultivators in Baize lands—well, that needed no elaboration. … Perhaps stung by the feeling that their intelligence had been insulted, the two did not hold back.
The eagle demon did not have a peaceful death.
“That’s why I always tell you—don’t rely too much on magical treasures; think more. Even without the Scripture Slip, you should have realized that stealing spirit stones would cause the passengers’ deaths.”
Jiang Li had only asked how they planned to deal with the eagle demon to see how deeply they could think. And, just as expected, they only saw the surface layer. They stupidly relied on the Scripture Slip to test truth, yet their questions were poorly phrased.
They had nearly let a mass killer go free under the illusion of righteousness. Jiang Li sighed deeply as he lectured the two juniors again. How had they even cultivated to the Nascent Soul Stage like this?
When he was at Nascent Soul, he’d certainly not been so naive. He was more convinced than ever—past Human Emperors had died on the battlefield, but he would die of worry. Can no one save him the trouble?
Jiang Li decided that this Immortal Artifact Appreciation Assembly would be his break. He would absolutely, definitely not meddle this time. Even a Human Emperor needed a vacation!
【New Mission Issued: Although you ranked first, your classmates mock your low cultivation base, saying you don’t deserve the top place and urge you to drop out. You must astonish everyone in the semester’s final cultivation test.】
【This mission may be abandoned.】
【Reward: One opportunity for Sudden Enlightenment, one incomplete Untransmittable Technique of the Beast Taming Sect, and one Blood Ignition Pill.】
“Abandon.”
Jiang Li glanced at the mission window, mildly disappointed, then rejected it. Of course such low-level tasks didn’t chain into the grand “Lost Immortal Realm” quests. … Over ten days later, the airship finally descended near the Dao Sect.
As soon as they stepped off, the Dao Sect Master Bai Hongtu personally greeted them with a wide, warm smile. Beside him stood the Confucian Sect Master, Dong Zhongren—his expression utterly miserable, looking very much the loser. Wang Bian hid his face in shame, wishing he could stay aboard the airship.
Clearly, his master’s stealth infiltration plan had failed spectacularly. In the end, the Buddha Child had to drag him down.
“On behalf of all within the Dao Sect, I welcome Human Emperor Jiang to attend the Immortal Artifact Appreciation Assembly!”
Bai Hongtu laughed heartily and spread his arms for a hug. Jiang Li laughed as well and returned the embrace, gently patting the other’s back. Bai Hongtu kept a smiling face, enduring without groaning even though each pat hurt terribly.
Behind him, thousands of Dao Sect disciples bowed together and shouted in unison, “Welcome, Human Emperor Jiang!” It could be seen that Bai Hongtu had truly gone all out in staging this sincere reception.
“And the Holy Maiden of Tranquil Heart—it has been years since we last met. Your relationship with Human Emperor Jiang seems just the same as ever.”
The Holy Maiden Jing Xin bit her lip and forced a smile, managing not to strike him on the spot. Jiang Li changed topics.
“By the way, how is your research on the Nine Provinces Realm-Guarding Grand Formation going? Almost finished?”
Bai Hongtu’s smile immediately collapsed. He let out a bitter groan.
“The first thing you ask after arriving is something that gives me a headache. For this formation, I’ve been losing hair day and night! Can’t we talk about something happy instead?”
Jiang Li curled his lips.
“You’re a Tribulation Transcendence Stage cultivator who can revive from a single drop of blood. How about I beat you down to just that—one drop left? You can rejuvenate yourself, and your hair will regrow beautifully.”
“Damn it, even landlords aren’t as ruthless as you!”
Then, Bai Hongtu laughed again and said proudly, “Fortunately, I’ve already figured out the grand formation. Now, I’m only missing one immortal artifact as the formation core.”
(End of Chapter)