For the Mirror of Heaven to hang, for the Mirror of the Sea to shine, for the Furnace of Creation

Wei Xuanche had already returned to his allegiance. Jiang Mengxiong was turning away. The empty Future Hall slowly closed its doors.

The golden statue of the pot-bellied Buddha stood once more upon the altar, laughing like an eternal illusion.

Xiong Ji lay on the cold floor, golden blood gushing from his neck.

The Son of Heaven of Great Chu knelt beside him, reaching out to cover the wound... but a shallow embankment could never hold back the surging tide.

"Hah... Maitreya is a hard road. Had he not let go, I would have had it."

There was no resentment on Xiong Ji's face. One who gazed upon the future could naturally understand its unfathomability. He merely... had some regrets.

Those regrets seeped into his labored breaths and were swallowed into his slow words. "When I left the Starry Sky, I considered proving World-Sovereign King Buddha on Mount Jiaowu instead—settling for second best. Just as Jiang Shu chose to become the Underworld Son of Heaven back then."

"But for those of us who stand at the pinnacle of All Under Heaven, there truly is no 'second best.' To be forced to settle for second best usually means there is no road left."

"Jiang Wuliang left a hidden stroke within the fruit of World-Sovereign King Buddha. Moon-Washing Nunnery has already opened its sack."

"Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva's disciple is in the temple. I cannot make sense of his path, but if I were to ascend through it, he would inevitably become one of the keys affecting my proving of the Dao... In the end, I would become Dipankara's nourishment."

"Zidu—"

"What Jiang Shu failed to leave his descendants, I too have failed to leave you."

He looked at the emperor beside him, the tassel beads upon his crown swaying. "This road is too hard.