Two Tales from the Past

The Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons straightened his back and sat up from the soft couch, his ample bosom trembling slightly with the movement.

Li Miaozhen, Asuluo, and other extraordinary experts also rose from their seats.

The silver-haired enchantress strode out, and Li Miaozhen and the others caught up. Zhao Shou originally wanted to show off his skills as a Confucian School cultivator, but he was too badly injured, so he gave up his plan.

He obediently followed behind the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox.

The night sky was clear and bright, with a full moon hanging in the heavens and countless stars scattered across the night.

The City of Ten Thousand Demons fell asleep in the night. The Demon Race race is a race that pays great attention to their daily routines. Unlike humans, they don't have as many cunning schemes and can play until the wee hours of the morning, drinking and reveling until dawn.

The group quickly arrived at the sealed tower, its doors open, reflecting bright candlelight.

Xu Qi'an and Shen Shu were sitting and talking inside the tower. When they saw the group of people coming together, they both looked over at the same time. One waved with a smile, while the other nodded with a stern expression.

Zhao Shou and the others stepped into the Sealed Tower and solemnly bowed to the Half-Step Martial God.

Only the nine-tailed fox remained unruly, like a seductive, undisciplined wild girl.

After everyone was seated, Shen Shu slowly said:

"I know you have many questions for me, and I will tell you everything about myself."

Everyone's spirits lifted.

Shen Shu did not speak immediately. After recalling the past for a moment, she began to tell her story in a slow tone.

"More than five hundred years ago, the Buddha broke free from some of the seals and gained the freedom to infiltrate a little power outward. In order to break the Confucian sage's shackles as soon as possible, he pondered deeply and finally came up with a solution."

"That is to tear apart a part of one's own soul and infuse it with one's own emotions. Then, one merges it into the body of the Asura King, who was nearly destroyed, with only a wisp of his soul remaining. The Buddha's part of his soul merged with the Asura King's wisp of soul, becoming a completely new soul."

"This is me. I possess part of the Buddha's soul and memories, as well as the Asura King's memories and soul. I often cannot distinguish whether I am the Asura King or the Buddha."

The extraordinary beings inside the tower displayed a variety of expressions.

So that's how it is. This almost matches my guess. Shenshu is indeed the "other side" of Buddha. There was no such thing as an external being taking over Buddha's body. Hmm, Buddha is an external being, how could he be taken over so easily? Xu Qi'an suddenly realized.

He then looked at Asura and the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, and found that the "siblings" had the same complicated expression.

"Don't even mention that you can't tell the difference; your son and daughter can't tell whether their father is the Asura King or the Buddha either," Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

"The Buddha made a promise to me that as long as I help the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons to convert the Southern Demon to Buddhist School, help it gather its fortune and break free from the seal, it will completely sever its connection with me and give me freedom."

"He infused my soul with emotion, deepening my understanding that I am the Buddha, precisely because he feared I would change my mind. I agreed to his request, and after achieving great spiritual attainment, I left Aranya and went to the Southern Frontier."

Shen Shu recounted in a gentle and detailed manner a story long buried in history.

"I first met her in August, the hottest summer in Southern Frontier. Three hundred miles west of Wanyao Mountain, there is a Twin Lake. The lake water is clear, and there is a kind of spiritual flower called "Twin" growing on the lake. It is said that eating it can result in the birth of twins."

"I traveled south from the Western Regions and passed by Twin Lakes. While I was drinking and resting by the lake, the water suddenly surged with waves. She emerged naked from the water, bathed in bright sunlight. Her fair body was covered with water droplets, reflecting a seven-colored halo. Behind her were nine beautiful and flamboyant fox tails."

When she saw me, she wasn't shy at all. Instead, she asked me with a grin, "How long have you been peeping at my master while he's bathing?"

At this moment, you should steal the clothes she left on the shore and then ask her to marry you. Perhaps she will think you are an honest and kind person and choose to marry you. Thinking of this, Xu Qi'an instinctively looked around and breathed a sigh of relief when he found that Protector Yuan was not there.

The fox spirit was indeed enthusiastic and open. Xu Qi'an immediately looked at the nine-tailed celestial fox.

"What are you looking at!"

Both the silver-haired enchantress and Li Miaozhen raised their eyebrows in anger.

Xu Qi'an withdrew his gaze, and Shen Shu continued:

"She asked me if I was from the Western Regions, and I said yes. Then she changed her smiling demeanor and began to treat me ruthlessly. At that time, there were often conflicts between the Buddhist sects of the Western Buddhist School and the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons. The Buddhist School liked to subdue powerful Demon Race as mounts."

She said I was handsome and dashing, and wanted to take me as her male concubine.

"Promise her, Master, you must seize the future," Xu Qi'an thought to himself, dispelling the melancholy of the changing times.

Handsome and dashing? Zhao Shou and the others scrutinized Shen Shu's features with questioning eyes, suspecting that Shen Shu was exaggerating.

Even Asura, who was also a member of the Asura race, felt that Shen Shu was exaggerating a bit too much.

The silver-haired enchantress said calmly:

"We, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox clan, only admire strong and brave men, unlike human women who only have eyes for slick, pretty boys."

A powerful and valiant man. Li Miaozhen glanced at Xu Qi'an, then looked at the silver-haired enchantress with a hint of wariness in her eyes.

"And then what happened?" Xu Qi'an asked.

"Later I gave her a good beating, and she behaved herself, saying she was willing to only take me as her male concubine and would never be unfaithful." Shen Shu smiled. "At the time, I was troubled about how to infiltrate the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons. The Demon Race is extremely hostile to Buddhist School monks, and even though I am powerful and can subdue people by force, it is very difficult to Convincing Others with Reason."

"Later, I stayed in the Kingdom of Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons, where I spent the happiest decades of my life."

Shen Shu, having said this, looked at the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox and spoke in a gentle tone:

"You were born in the thirtieth year."

No, you went to convert them, not to be assimilated by them. Master, your faith in Buddhism is not firm. But who doesn't love a vixen? Beautiful, rich, and seductive—I wouldn't be able to resist either. Xu Qi'an's heart stirred, and he said:

"Is that why you broke ties with the Buddha?"

Shen Shu shook his head and said in a deep voice:

"My mission was actually completed long ago. She hesitated for decades until the child was born. Finally, she agreed to convert to Buddhist School and make the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons a vassal state of Buddhist School, as long as Buddhist School agreed to allow the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons to govern itself."

"I gladly returned to the Buddhist School and told the Buddha and all the Bodhisattvas about this matter. The Buddha agreed and then dispatched the Bodhisattvas, Arhats, and Vajras of Ananda to rule the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons."

At this point, his expression suddenly turned gloomy:

"She opened the door to welcome Buddhist School, but what awaited her was the slaughter of Buddhist School. Buddha abandoned her and refused to accept it. He never thought of giving me back my freedom, never thought of letting go of the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons. I was just a pawn that He was responsible for scouting."

"He intends to destroy the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons at minimal cost and incorporate the fortune of the Hundred Thousand Mountains into Buddhist School."

The nine-tailed celestial fox pursed its lips, its face grim.

Zhao Shou recalled the historical records and suddenly realized:

"No wonder, historical records say that the Buddhist School killed the Queen of Ten Thousand Demons at Ten Thousand Demon Mountain, and the Demon Race race retreated in panic. They then waged a guerrilla war against the Buddhist School in the Hundred Thousand Mountains for a full sixty years before the war was finally quelled."

This event is historically known as the Sixty-Year Demon Purge.

If the Demon Race had been prepared and had united its entire nation, it wouldn't have been so easy for the Buddhist School to destroy the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons. They initially eliminated the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons's top forces through a surprise attack. Most of the Demon Race were scattered throughout the Hundred Thousand Mountains and hadn't had time to react.

That's why the subsequent sixty-year war ensued.

Even after losing their top-tier power, the Demon Race still fought for sixty years, which shows how powerful the largest Demon Race group in the Nine Provinces was back then.

Xu Qi'an frowned and said:

"I heard from the Empress that the image of Vairocana Buddha originally arose from within you, yet the Buddha can still control you?"

Shen Shu nodded.

"This is His trump card, a hidden trick He left behind when He separated me. At the time, I only sensed an uncontrollable force, but I didn't know its true nature. Buddha told me that it was an inseparable connection between Him and me, and that the only way to gain freedom was to eliminate this force."

"And the price is helping Him to convert the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons and free Him from his predicament."

"I see," Xu Qi'an and the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox nodded in understanding.

The latter asked:

"Even today, you can still get along? What's wrong with the Buddha's state? He seems very abnormal."

She voiced the question that Li Miaozhen had been wondering about.

The extraordinary group perked up and listened patiently.

Shen Shu frowned:

"In my memory, Buddha was a human, and that shouldn't be wrong. Although my memories only go back to after He became a transcendent being, He is me, and I am He. I know what I am."

Xu Qi'an pressed further:

"Then why did He become the way He is now?"

Shen Shu shook his head slightly:

"I don't know what happened to Him over the past five hundred years. But this version of Him is even more terrifying. There's something I don't know if you've noticed."

He looked at Xu Qi'an, "The Buddha can no longer be called a 'living being,' His mind is not normal."

Like a terrifying monster, a monster without emotion, Xu Qi'an nodded and pondered:

"Could it be because it's transferring most of its emotions onto you?"

Initially, the Buddha transferred most of his emotions to Shenshu, deepening his understanding that he was the Buddha, in order to prevent the Asura King's memories from becoming dominant and causing this 'avatar' to lose control.

But is there really no consequence to this?

Perhaps, His current state is the price He has paid.

That's why He wanted to take this opportunity to accommodate divine grace and perfect Himself?

At this moment, the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox looked at Xu Qi'an and said:

Where is the Bear King?

Xu Qi'an stretched out his palm, and golden light condensed in his palm, transforming into a delicate and miniature golden tower.

"It was injured and was sleeping inside the tower. I have already healed its wounds using the Pharmacist Dharma Image."

As he spoke, Xu Qi'an's expression changed, and his pupils contracted slightly.

"What's wrong?" everyone asked.

"I think I understand why the Buddha ate the Bodhisattva Faji." Xu Qi'an took a deep breath, glanced around, and said in a deep voice:

"There's a detail you've all noticed: He seems unable to use the eight great forms besides the Vairocana Buddha form. What He truly desires from the Dharmaksha Bodhisattva is the power of the Great Wisdom form. He needs the Great Wisdom form to maintain his sanity and prevent himself from becoming a completely irrational monster."

This conjecture is chilling upon closer examination, yet it is also plausible and consistent with their previous speculations.

"It's a pity that Bodhisattva Faji only has a wisp of his soul left, and he can't remember much." Xu Qi'an looked at Daoist Jinlian:

"This matter will require the Daoist priest's assistance in restoring the soul of Bodhisattva Faji."

Master Jinlian nodded in agreement.

"Now that Master Shenshu's head has been recovered, there is no reason for the Buddha to remain asleep. He may very well retaliate against the Southern Frontier, or even the Great Feng, so we must be on guard," Zhao Shou said in a deep voice.

"I need to go back and discuss this with Duke Wei," Xu Qi'an said, rubbing his temples.

The group discussed the matter at length, but since Shen Shu needed to rest and recover his strength, they all left one after another.

Zhao Shou and the others were seriously injured and originally intended to stay in the Kingdom of Ten Thousand Demons for the night to recuperate, but Xu Qi'an stood in the square outside the Sealing Tower, gazed at the night sky, and said:

"Let's go back to Great Feng first; I have something to verify."

Having said that, he brought out the pagoda and gestured for them to enter the pagoda to recuperate.

Seeing that he had no intention of explaining, Li Miaozhen and the others did not ask any further questions and jumped into the tower.

Bang!

The tower gate closed, and amidst the ear-piercing sonic boom, Xu Qi'an shot into the night sky like an arrow, disappearing into the horizon in an instant.

From the Hundred Thousand Mountains to the capital, a distance of over ten thousand miles, Xu Qi'an returned to the capital in just one hour.

The magnificent city sits on the vast land, its lights twinkling like stars, growing more concentrated the closer one gets to the palace.

At dusk, Huaiqing sent a message through the Heaven and Earth Society to inform them that they had repelled the Great Wizard's attack. Kou Yangzhou, with the strength of a second-rank martial artist, had driven Du'e Luohan so far that he dared not enter the capital and fled back to the Western Regions. He then went straight to the main battlefield to support Luo Yuheng and the others.

Unfortunately, the Grand Wizard was too cunning. Upon seeing the crude second-rank martial artist charging in, he immediately retreated with two Spiritual Masters.

When Xu Qi'an heard the news that Kou Yangzhou, a senior veteran, had won the MVP award in this battle, he was truly surprised.

I thought to myself, "Old Master Kou has finally risen to prominence."

With a thud, Xu Qi'an landed on the Eight Trigrams Platform, summoned the Floating Pagoda, and released Li Miaozhen, Asuluo, and other extraordinary beings.

Then he led everyone down to the underground of the Star-Gazing Tower.

The Star-Gazing Tower has three underground floors. The first floor was used to hold ordinary prisoners and was once used as Zhong Li's private suite.

The lowest level is where extraordinary experts are imprisoned.

At Xu Qi'an's instruction, Sun Xuanji activated a series of restrictions and arrived at the bottom level.

Senior Brother Sun stepped forward, and the Clear Light Array materialized, revealing a naked monkey within it.

The white-haired Protector Yuan was somewhat shy. He was used to wearing human clothes, and it was inevitable that he would feel embarrassed when his hairy body was exposed to the public.

Then, he quickly got into work mode, scrutinized Sun Xuanji for a moment, and read his mind:

"You want to see the Arhat of Compassion?"

Duqing Luohan was the main force that captured Xu Qi'an in Yongzhou. He was defeated by Luo Yuheng, and later, he was spared by removing the Demon-Sealing Nail.

The supervisor agreed to convert the Arhat to love and imprison him in the Star-Gazing Tower for three years. After the three years, he would be freed.

Xu Qi'an nodded and hummed in agreement.

Sun Xuanji led a group of extraordinary beings through a dark and gloomy corridor, arriving at an iron gate at the end.

He first took out an octagonal bronze mirror and embedded it into the octagonal groove of the iron gate. The bronze mirror, like a 3D projector, projected a complex array.

Senior Brother Sun calmly manipulated and wrote array patterns. After a dozen breaths, the latch inside the iron gate clicked open.

With a slightly heavy 'crackling' sound, he pushed open the heavy iron door.

Inside the iron gate, it was pitch black. Sun Xuanji used teleportation to summon an oil lamp. The faint candlelight dispelled the darkness and brought a dim yellow glow.

On a pile of withered grass, sat an old monk with white eyebrows hanging down on both sides of his face.

The gaunt old monk opened his eyes and looked at the group of powerful figures who had suddenly arrived with a gentle and calm gaze. His gaze lingered slightly on Asura and Xu Qi'an.

"The fact that you two are standing together suggests that a lot has happened in the outside world during my six months underground."

"Duqing Luohan said calmly."

Xu Qi'an nodded and said:

"A lot has indeed happened. Does the Arhat of Love want to know?"

The old monk did not answer, appearing indifferent to fate.

Xu Qi'an continued:

"But before that, I have something I'd like to ask you."

The Path of the Arhat Who Guides Love:

"What is it!"

Xu Qi'an stared at him:

"Outside Yongzhou City, in the underground palace, that ancient corpse—did you kill it?!"

P. S.: I'll correct any typos later. I went to the hospital for a checkup today, hence the late update.