Guardian Sword Saint

"How could this be! How could this be! You aren't...?"

The incredulous cry came not from a Daoist True Man, but from Ku Bu Luohan.

Ku Bu Luohan was in a miserable state. Crisscrossing sword wounds covered his body, deep enough to expose bone.

Purple-green corpse poison corroded his flesh through the wounds. An ordinary person would have been in such agony that death would have seemed preferable.

Yet Ku Bu Luohan seemed unaware of it. His face was filled with shock and disbelief as the two black hollows of his eyes stared at Pu Du Ci Hang.

"How can you become a Buddha?!"

"My Buddha is merciful. Even demons may become Buddhas! Why can't I call myself Buddha?"

As Pu Du Ci Hang spoke, the enormous Buddha phantom spoke as well, its voice booming for miles. "Ku Bu, you have mutilated yourself to experience the suffering of the mortal world, and have already fallen into demonic obsession. Why not submit to this Buddha? I shall grant you eternal bliss!"

Ku Bu Luohan's expression shifted wildly, blood streaming from his eyes.

Suddenly, his body convulsed. His formerly swollen frame shrank back into its frail form, and he began walking step by step toward the Golden Buddha.

Bang!

The Silver Corpse struck the back of Ku Bu's head with a palm. Caught completely off guard by the heavy blow, he was instantly stunned.

"Demon! You deserve death!"

The Golden Buddha slapped a palm toward the Silver Corpse. Its target was not merely the Silver Corpse, but also the four Daoist True Men.

"Damn it!"

"Tai Yin, why are you bothering with him? If you want to die, don't drag us down with you!"

The four True Men each unleashed their divine abilities. Tai Yuan and Tai Su rode their swords away, while Xuan Qingzi transformed into a streak of purple lightning and fled.

Guan Lan Zi suffered the worst fate. The four great demon souls of his Natal Artifact had all been utterly destroyed. He shot Pu Du Ci Hang a resentful glance, then turned into a white crane and flew away.

Only the Silver Corpse did not understand how to flee. With the golden palm pressing down overhead, it would most likely have to die once more beneath the Golden Buddha's power.

"Imperial Preceptor, Old Ancestor Tai Yin is the Crown Prince's Tutor and the Guardian Sword Saint personally appointed by Us. Is there perhaps some misunderstanding?"

Emperor Li Yu's voice suddenly rang out. Zhou Yi and Eunuch Chu followed behind him.

Eunuch Chu glared at Zhou Yi with hatred. His aura fluctuated erratically, and his face grew increasingly pale. He had clearly suffered internal injuries.

"Your Majesty truly possesses unmatched benevolence and righteousness. No wonder Eunuch Chu is so utterly loyal."

As Zhou Yi spoke, the Dark Gold Flying Sword rested against Li Yu's lower back. With a single thought, he could make the emperor die on the spot.

With the Imperial Preceptor throwing the court into chaos within and ambitious warlords watching like tigers beyond its borders, while Crown Prince Li Zhu had yet to come of age, Li Yu's sudden death would essentially mean the fall of the Great Jing Dynasty.

Li Yu had no other choice. Either Zhou Yi assassinated him, or he gambled that Pu Du Ci Hang would not dare murder a sovereign.

Eunuch Chu said softly, "Chixiao, aren't you afraid that the Demonic Monk will seize this chance to overthrow the court? When that happens, not only you, but even the Daoist Sect will certainly suffer grievously!"

"I am betting that Pu Du Ci Hang cannot bear to kill His Majesty. Once His Majesty dies, the Dragon Qi will disperse, and it will be fated to lose its chance forever!"

Zhou Yi knew Pu Du Ci Hang's true nature all too well. It was a centipede demon, a demon through and through.

Yet the eminent monks and living Arhats of the Buddhist Sect all had murky ties to it.

Undying Arhat had cultivated Mind Telepathy. Zhou Yi did not believe that Pu Du Ci Hang's identity could have been concealed from him.

The Buddhist Sect knew that Pu Du Ci Hang possessed a demonic body, yet not only did it refuse to expose him, it fully supported him and used the Imperial Preceptor's authority to greatly expand the Buddhist Sect's influence.

If there was no hidden scheme behind this, Zhou Yi would not believe it even if he died.

Eunuch Chu suddenly fell silent for a moment before sending a secret transmission. "It is no longer only Pu Du Ci Hang who hates you to the bone. Even if His Majesty survives this calamity, he will seek revenge later. What exactly are you doing all this for?"

Zhou Yi replied through a secret transmission, "Not just them. The Buddhist Sect already hates me to the bone, and several Daoist True Men regard me as their mortal enemy... I have thoroughly offended the four great powers of this world."

"For what reason?"

"Only to seek immortality and the Dao."

"From what I know, the immortal path is long. One must speak and act cautiously. That does not seem to be the way of Daoist Master Chixiao. Take Guan Lan Zi, for instance. His inherited Magical Artifact was destroyed, yet so long as he lived, he fled without even a trace of hesitation..."

Zhou Yi did not answer. He was different from every cultivator in this world.

The True Self was the foundation. Every Other Self existed merely as a tool to obtain cultivation resources.

Eunuch Chu was right. The older many enlightened immortals became, the more afraid of death they grew. Unless it was a struggle over the Great Dao, they would never risk their lives against another.

Zhou Yi's true body could not wait any longer. His talent was too poor, and he needed an enormous amount of resources to sustain him.

Moreover, this Other Self's Spiritual Root aptitude was only First Order. It was entirely impossible to greatly improve his cultivation through secluded cultivation alone.

It was better to take a gamble. At the very least, once he secured the position of Grand Tutor, he would gain access to the Great Jing imperial family's accumulated texts and resources from centuries past—enough for him to advance further.

The secret exchange between Zhou Yi and Eunuch Chu lasted only an instant.

After Li Yu spoke, the Golden Buddha hesitated for a moment and withdrew its palm.

The Silver Corpse escaped disaster, dragged Ku Bu Luohan away, and returned to the Black Coffin.

Pu Du Ci Hang withdrew the Golden Buddha phantom and landed before Li Yu. "Since he is the Guardian Sword Saint personally appointed by Your Majesty, then this humble monk was at fault."

Zhou Yi clasped his hands. "We will serve in the same court as officials from now on. I hope for your guidance."

"Of course."

Pu Du Ci Hang said, "The rebels have scattered, and Your Majesty is safe. Then this humble monk shall take his leave."

With that, without waiting for the emperor to speak, he stepped away on golden lotuses and flew from the Eastern Palace.

Li Yu's smiling face darkened. "Truly a traitorous rebel!"

It was unclear whether he meant Pu Du Ci Hang, Zhou Yi, or both.

Du E Luohan and Pu Zhao Arhat had silently vanished as early as when the Daoist True Men fled.

Zhou Yi ordered the Silver Corpse to suppress Ku Bu Luohan at all times. That old monk likely knew quite a bit about the many questions Zhou Yi had.

The Eastern Palace had undergone a great battle.

More than a dozen palaces had collapsed from the battle's aftershocks, yet the official explanation was merely that they had fallen into disrepair.

The commoners had seen the Buddha descend into the world, but the authorities offered no explanation at all. Instead, they arrested many people for spreading rumors.

That afternoon, Great Jing issued an Imperial Edict appointing Zhou Yi, the Sword Saint of Guobei, as the Crown Prince's Tutor, additionally granting him the title of Guardian Sword Saint and command over one hundred thousand Imperial Guards.

Another secret edict appointed Chief Eunuch Chu as Commander of the Imperial Guard Directorate, ordering him to rebuild the Imperial Guard Directorate and monitor the realm.

Great Jing had originally possessed an Imperial Guard Directorate, but the civil officials had ceaselessly condemned it, and Li Yu's grandfather had later abolished it.

Zhou Yi suggested that the court rebuild the Imperial Guard Directorate. Without a blade in his hand, the emperor would become a plaything of the ministers.

Li Yu said that the imperial treasury lacked funds. The Ministry of Revenue officials had already become believers of Pu Du Ci Hang, and the national treasury's silver had long been emptied to build temples.

"Your Majesty, to express my apologies, Immortal Wine House is willing to provide the funds to help Your Majesty establish the Imperial Guard Directorate. This Daoist has long admired the imperial collection of texts and hopes to read them, thereby fulfilling a wish of mine."

Li Yu considered Zhou Yi's apology for only a single breath before accepting it.

Great Jing was already on the verge of collapse. He was willing to trade texts for power he could actually wield.

The only person Li Yu truly trusted was Eunuch Chu, so no one else could hold the post of Commander of the Imperial Guard Directorate.

As for the hundred thousand Imperial Guards, although Li Yu rarely left the palace, he knew what Great Jing's Imperial Guards had become.

Li Yu had once dreamed of having the hundred thousand Imperial Guards encircle and eliminate Pu Du Ci Hang. He had secretly visited the Imperial Guard Camp with Eunuch Chu, but after returning, he never mentioned it again.

The Great Jing Imperial Guards that had once swept across the realm were no longer a support for the imperial family, but a burden instead. It was better to hand them to Zhou Yi; perhaps they might even bring some surprise.

After accepting the appointment, Zhou Yi summoned Crown Prince Li Zhu and went with him to the Imperial Guard Camp.

With one glance, Zhou Yi understood why command of one hundred thousand Imperial Guards had been thrown in as an extra.

The word "rotten" was not enough to fully describe the state of the Imperial Guards!

It had to be called rotten to the core!

Zhou Yi and Li Zhu rode straight into the Imperial Guard Camp. Not only did no one stop them, several men even tried to pull them into a gambling game.

"Not gambling? Want women instead? We seized a fresh batch the day before yesterday. Just one hundred taels, and sir can pick whichever one he likes!"

"Where did you seize them from?"

"In the mountains. Some village or other—I forgot."

"What happened to the rest of the villagers?"

"Of course we killed them all. If they came to make trouble, we'd have to spend money again."

Splurt!

A head was ripped straight from its neck!

"Fall in! Anyone who does not report within one incense stick will be killed without mercy!"