Nighttime Conversations

The Daoist priest frowned in thought, then shook his head helplessly:

"I have never heard of such a method before. It was probably created by the Daoist Master in his later years and was not left behind."

He paused, looked at Xu Qi'an, and said:

"However, although the details are unclear, the general process involves shedding the old body. For a Daoist transcendent being, this is certainly at an immense cost, but not unbearable. But you are a martial artist."

A first-class martial artist is one who integrates essence, energy, and spirit; the body cannot be discarded so easily.

Like Wei Yuan, whose Primordial Spirit is at the second level, but whose physical body is that of an ordinary mortal, which makes it impossible for Wei Yuan to exert his combat power.

The Daoist sect is different; as long as the Primordial Spirit, or yang spirit, remains, the combat power will not be damaged.

Li Miaozhen comforted her:

"At least this is a method worth learning from; if we have the opportunity, we should try to get our hands on it."

Asura, standing to the side, said calmly:

"Xu Ningyan is in his prime and doesn't need to worry about these things. Besides, the Witch God and the Gu God are about to break free of their seals; dealing with them is the most important thing."

If he can't handle it, then Xu Ningyan shouldn't even bother thinking about immortality; a Super Grade expert won't let him live.

Xu Qi'an pinched the bridge of his nose and said:

"That's enough for today. If there's anything else, send a letter."

Under the cover of night, Nalan Tianlu rode on auspicious clouds back to Jingshan City, the headquarters of the Witch God Sect.

This magnificent city, which gathered most of the masters of the Witch God Sect, slept in the tranquil moonlight, with the desolate Jing Mountain as its backdrop.

Nalan Tianlu descended from the clouds and floated into the Wizard's Temple.

Classic stone pillars support the towering dome, yet the hall remains surprisingly spacious without being fragmented.

On both sides of the scarlet carpet were rows of candlesticks with burning red candles.

At the far end of the main hall is a base several meters high, upon which sits a huge stone chair, seemingly a throne built exclusively for giants.

Beside the throne stood the high wizard Salenago, holding a lamb in his arms and wearing a cloak symbolizing a wizard.

"What is the situation in the Western Regions?"

Salun Agu looked down at the Rain Master as he stepped into the hall, his deep voice echoing in the empty space.

Nalan Tianlu stopped beside the base and shook his head, saying:

"Shen Shu retrieved the head, Great Feng withdrew successfully. There were no casualties among the extraordinary experts on both sides."

He recounted the details of the battle to Salun Agu.

"With a half-step Martial God reappearing in the mortal realm, the Central Plains and Southern Frontier have gained some strength. If Xu Qi'an advances smoothly and enters the ranks of half-step Martial Gods, combining the power of two half-step Martial Gods, the Central Plains might truly be able to compete with the Super Grade."

Salun Agu sighed.

While a half-step Martial God is indeed terrifying, what Salun Agu saw was Xu Qi'an's strength. Without him leading the matter and assisting Shen Shu, the outcome today might have been different.

Unbeknownst to him, this insignificant person had grown to this extent.

From being famous as a child to being unparalleled in the world, it only took him two and a half years.

The younger generation is terrifying.

"Becoming a half-step Martial God is not so easy." Nalan Tianlu was not worried at all.

"I'm still worried." Salun Agu shook his head slightly.

"The Supervisor's support for Xu Qi'an was not merely to help him become a first-rank martial artist. I don't believe he didn't have a backup plan. However, throughout history, only Shen Shu has achieved the status of a half-step martial god."

"It's impossible for Xu Qi'an to reach this level, at least in the short term."

The Grand Wizard did not know the method to advance to the level of a half-step Martial God, but because of his respect for and understanding of the Supervisor, he believed that the Supervisor must have a way.

Nalan Tianlu asked:

"Great Wizard, do you know why the Buddha has become so strange?"

Salun Agu said calmly:

"To resemble a monster is naturally to have severed one's emotions and lack the feelings of a living being. In all the major systems, apart from martial artists, the higher the rank, the easier it is to sever emotions. The Buddha actually made such a grave mistake."

He could only explain the Buddha's unusual behavior as "making mistakes".

Severing ties is a grave mistake. Nalan Tianlu silently noted this information, then asked:

"What about the Buddha's physical form?"

He was referring to the fact that the Buddha could only manifest the form of Vairocana Buddha and could not manifest other forms.

Salun Agu pondered for a moment, then said:

"I suspect that the supervisor used the power of the Confucian sage to harm the Buddha."

"Buddha had already broken free from the seal of Confucianism, a step ahead of both the Gu God and the Witch God. He is very likely to seize the opportunity and conquer the Central Plains."

Nalan Tianlu's expression immediately turned serious.

The capital city, the Haoqi Tower.

That's how it happened.

After finishing his long speech, Xu Qi'an took a sip of flower tea, savoring the rich aroma spreading across his taste buds.

"So the Buddha was actually the human incarnation of the Daoist master," Wei Yuan exclaimed, then continued.

"He sent the Arhat of Compassion to kill the ancient corpse to silence it; there must have been a reason why he absolutely had to."

Xu Qi'an frowned and said:

"Although this matter is kept secret, its leakage would not have a significant impact on the Buddha. I still cannot understand why He wanted to silence the ancient corpse. What are your thoughts, Duke Wei?"

Wei Yuan laughed:

When your thinking is wrong, step back and don't get stuck on it.

"You think it won't affect the Buddha, but that's based on your own understanding. You are not the Buddha, nor can you represent other beings. Perhaps the Buddha simply doesn't want someone to see it."

Xu Qi'an raised an eyebrow, pondered for a moment, and shook his head, saying:

"Let's not think about that now. There are more urgent matters to attend to. Now that Shenshu has finished repairing his body, there's no need for the Buddha to remain in slumber. He might very well retaliate against the Central Plains, Duke Wei, we must be on guard."

Wei Yuan glanced at him:

"You're only thinking about this now?"

Xu Qi'an returned Da Qingyi's gaze with a look that seemed to ask, "Is something wrong?"

"Asura has long said that the statue of the Confucian sage was destroyed, and that the Buddha slept for five hundred years to suppress the head of the divine being. Since you are determined to take back the head, the first thing you will face after you succeed is the Buddha's revenge."

"I don't expect you to think ten steps ahead for every one step you take, but thinking two steps ahead for every one step you take is certainly possible," Wei Yuan said, looking at him with a disappointed expression.

Xu Qi'an sighed:

"Of course I've thought about these things, but I haven't come up with a good idea. At worst, we can join forces with Shenshu and other extraordinary experts to fight the Buddha again."

With Shen Shu's strength surging and so many experts assisting him, he definitely has the ability to go toe-to-toe with the Buddhist School. This is Xu Qi'an's strategy.

"It's alright!"

Wei Yuan offered a forced compliment, then said:

"I have promised the Arhat Du'e on your behalf that the Great Feng will adopt Mahayana Buddhism as its state religion and allow Mahayana Buddhist believers from the Western Regions to migrate into the Central Plains. This will both weaken the Buddha's fortune and strengthen the foundation of the Great Feng."

"Since we're going to be enemies with Super Brand, the corresponding plans should have started beforehand."

"Holy crap, you old geezer, you actually turned Du'e against you?!" Xu Qi'an exclaimed in shock.

According to Asura, Du'e is a devout Buddhist School Arhat who prioritizes Buddhist School in everything he does. He cannot be easily turned against.

Wei Yuan said calmly:

"Everyone has desires, pursuits, and ideas. If you grasp what they want, you won't have to worry about not having opportunities, and as long as there are opportunities, you can win them over."

"Furthermore, at this juncture, it might be worthwhile to consider forming an alliance with the Witch God Cult."

Xu Qi'an hummed in agreement.

"Although the Witch God Cult despises Great Feng, there are now sufficient reasons to persuade Salun Agu."

Wei Yuan is right. If the Buddha were to invade the Central Plains, the Witch God Sect would definitely not stand idly by.

"Yes, the Church of the Witch God is desperately trying to delay until the Witch God returns to the mortal realm. We also need to delay until you advance to the half-step Martial God level, or at least reach the mid-stage of the first rank," Wei Yuan said.

"Have you figured out how to advance to the half-step Martial God realm?"

Xu Qi'an shook his head.

A long-lost sense of urgency surged back into his heart. Ever since his advancement to the extraordinary realm, he had been driven forward by this "sense of urgency."

We dare not relax for even a moment.

Even so, he is still far from good enough.

Once you reach the first-grade realm, advancing further is as difficult as ascending to heaven.

But the time left for him is even shorter than the time left for the national football team.

To stand firm during the great calamity to come and protect the Central Plains, he must advance to the level of a half-step Martial God.

Half-step Martial God—throughout history, only Shen Shu has reached this level.

The difficulty is self-evident.

Wei Yuan pondered for a moment and said:

"I'll show you the way: go out to sea!"

"It's impossible for the Wilderness to kill all the descendants of Gods and Devils. It most likely only targets the powerful Gods and Devils. The 'Netherworld Silkworm' you saw is an example. Didn't the Nine-Tailed Fox go out to sea before? Ask her for a map and detailed information."

Xu Qi'an nodded:

"That's what I think too."

After failing to hunt the Gara Tree, his only way out was to go to sea and hunt down the descendants of Gods and Devils.

"By the way, Duke Wei, there's something I haven't told you yet." Xu Qi'an took a deep breath:

"The Gu God told me that you should have been the first-rank martial artist in the Central Plains. You were the first person the Supervisor chose."

He told Wei Yuan about the future that the God of Gu had foreseen.

Wei Yuan sat quietly for a long time, then slowly nodded, gazing intently at Xu Qi'an:

"The supervisor chose me, but he may not be right. But since both the supervisor and I chose you, it must be the right thing to do."

He immediately smiled:

"I'm very satisfied with my life now, Ningyan. Just consider it suffering for me."

Xu Qi'an gave a bitter smile, "Perhaps this is fate."

Western Regions.

Arhat Du'e returned to Aranda under the stars and moon, only to find ruins before him, with collapsed stones and mounds of earth forming hills of varying heights.

The ground looked as if several layers had been scraped away, and it was riddled with cracks; the area within a radius of dozens of miles was filled with the traces of a great battle.

On the plain before the ruins, more than three thousand monks sat cross-legged, chanting scriptures in the darkness to pray for the souls of the dead.

The chanting of Buddhist scriptures wafted through the air, forming a continuous chorus.

Du'e was mentally prepared, but after witnessing Aranya's tragic state, he was still overwhelmed with intense sorrow and melancholy.

Aranta, this sacred mountain of the Western Regions, was destroyed in an instant!

For devout monks, this is tantamount to destroying their faith.

Du'e was also a devout Buddhist School disciple, and his feelings were extremely complicated.

"Amitabha!"

The Arhat Du'e clasped his hands together, his face filled with grief.

"Whom did you lose to?"

At that moment, a voice, indistinguishable between male and female, young and old, rang out behind me.

P. S.: Typos will be corrected later.