A Struggle for the World

A sudden upheaval shook the lands of Western Jin. Had this happened thirty years ago, Wei Yuan would have reacted with shock and fury; twenty years ago, he would have gathered all cultivators to pool their wisdom; ten years ago, he would have engaged the Smoke and Fire of the Mortal World, drawn up foolproof strategies, and marched forth with a great army to raze mountains and topple shrines. Yet today, Wei Yuan merely gazed in silence at the elder monk's dharma body. He took a gentle sip of his tea and only spoke after a long pause. "The Pure Land's methods are truly out of the ordinary." Only after a quiet moment did he set down his teacup and summon several maidservants. "This is the cast-off husk of an advanced cultivator and has great utility. Send it over to the Academy of Sciences so they can study it thoroughly. Not a shred of it is to be wasted." Some of the maidservants showed signs of fright, while others stepped forward boldly. All were quite fair of face and possessed decent cultivation; the mere sight of a dead man could hardly intimidate them. Those who feigned fear were merely hoping to elicit pity from the Realm Lord, while the bold believed such petty posturing was useless before him. Yet Wei Yuan's mind was wandering beyond the heavens, oblivious to all their subtle overtures. The maidservants had no choice but to join hands to lift the elder monk's remains. They pulled with all their might—yet it did not budge in the slightest! All of these maidservants possessed Dao Foundation cultivation. Though none could boast ten thousand jin of force, they each possessed several thousand. Yet six of them pulling together could not budge a single emaciated old monk. Wei Yuan let out a cold sneer. "A monk of lofty virtue indeed!" He had already discerned that the elder monk's dharma body was heavy as a mountain—a wondrous phenomenon resulting from an eminent monk passing into nirvana to reincarnate. Without the tier of brute strength possessed by the likes of Feng Tingyu or Wang Hu, lifting it was out of the question. Yet this place was the core of the World-Refining Grand Array. Wei Yuan's every gesture was amplified by the hundred thousand Dao Foundations woven into the array. As long as he stood within it, his might rivaled an immortal's. Furthermore, he possessed the Pure Land Grotto-Heaven, naturally endowed with Buddha-nature. The Buddhist Path placed paramount emphasis on sudden enlightenment in an instant without regard for gradual cultivation, which suited Wei Yuan better than anyone. Wei Yuan was not merely capable of sudden enlightenment; he had even categorized it into distinct tiers—a hundred thousand, five hundred thousand, a million... all the way up to an enlightenment tier of one hundred and twenty million. Particularly at that highest realm, not only could he fathom truths, but if what he comprehended contradicted reality, he could warp reality to match it. Hence, Wei Yuan's grasp of Buddhist dharma was remarkably profound, and unraveling this posed him no effort at all. Pointing a single finger, he sent a speck of Pure Land light sinking into the monk's dharma body, dissolving the Buddhist power within. The adamantine, indestructible form, once impervious to fire and water, instantly became as light as a feather. Only after the maidservants had carried it away did worry crease Wei Yuan's brow. Upon a seat to his flank, Zhang Sheng's figure materialized. "I sensed malice in this direction and hurried over, but I still arrived a step too late." Wei Yuan sighed. "Arriving early wouldn't have helped. The old fellow possessed profound cultivation. His sole intent was to pass into nirvana right before me and use the karmic cause bound to me to convert countless mortals. Even if you had slain him, you couldn't have triggered this divine power of his, and someone else would have come in his stead." Zhang Sheng said grimly, "Then we kill them as they come! No matter how many dharma bodies and precious aspects the Pure Land possesses, their numbers are not endless!" Wei Yuan shook his head. "They wouldn't let you see them. If they chose to die somewhere at random within Qingming, it would be even more troublesome. Fortunately, it happened here in Western Jin. Though many have been converted, they are all newcomers who haven't yet enjoyed Qingming's various benefits, so there is still room to maneuver." Zhang Sheng frowned slightly. "Then I will go hunt them down..." "Absolutely not!" Wei Yuan stopped her immediately. "Those treacherous bald donkeys specialize in things like karmic guidance. If you go, you will certainly walk into a trap! If that happens, I would have to declare immediate war on the Pure Land!" The lines around Zhang Sheng's brows and eyes softened abruptly, her voice growing gentler. "Are you not already at war with them?" "Not as of yet. My clash with them will come later, and it shouldn't take place here. Northern Qi is the seat of the Baohua Pure Land, blanketed in temples. The true clash will begin only when my army marches into Northern Qi! I will push through region by region, tearing down temples and toppling idols. That will be the true battle of doctrines!" A gleam of killing intent flickered across Wei Yuan's eyes. "The Baohua Pure Land has provoked me repeatedly, and every time I have shown restraint. Do those bastards truly believe I am easy prey? There is a deep blood feud between those bald donkeys and me. Once I free my hands and dismantle their present scheme, I will certainly see what the Pure Land's methods are made of!" As he spoke, the figure of Imperial Consort Yuan flashed across Wei Yuan's mind, along with that cheap son of mysterious origins. Blessed with karmic luck, Wei Yuan naturally possessed divine instincts for seeking fortune and evading disaster. Looking back at how he had repeatedly extended the King of Jin's lifespan, he realized that he had fundamentally never wanted the Little King of Chu to ascend the throne. *The rulers of the Nine States must never alter their bloodline.* This was virtually an unwritten law of the heavens. Even when Lu Changhe had secretly substituted himself to usurp the throne, the prerequisite was that he and the King of Jin hailed from the same ancestral branch. Wei Yuan was certainly not surnamed Lu, nor was that son. Whether Arhat Shusheng Guangzhi had been surnamed Lu in secular life was unknown, but Wei Yuan's instincts warned him against taking such a gamble. Speaking of that deep hatred, cold light merely flashed through Wei Yuan's eyes and his cadence quickened for an instant before his composure returned entirely. A teacup appeared in Zhang Sheng's hand, holding a trace of clear water. Swirling it gently, she handed it to Wei Yuan. "Drink this. It purifies the mind, clarifies sight, and steadies will, aiding you in resisting Buddhist methods." Wei Yuan took it and drank it down in one gulp. A stream of chill washed straight into his belly; his turbulent emotions receded into faint detachment, while his thoughts grew remarkably lucid. A question arose in his mind, and he frowned. "By all rights, those monks prefer scheming from the shadows. Yet these past few times, they have repeatedly sought to harm me, as if we harbored some blood feud. When did I ever offend them?" Zhang Sheng was also puzzled. After a moment's thought, she said, "This matter is indeed rather strange. It should be no secret that you are the reincarnated body of the King Buddha. Though the King Buddha does not rival the Great Sun Tathagata in the Baohua Pure Land, his strength is formidable, and his faction commands numerous attainments on Spirit Mountain. "Even if you were not offered the post of Abbot or Assistant Administrator in the Pure Land, they should at least be courting your favor. Was that peacock not attempting exactly that earlier on?" Wei Yuan's brow furrowed. "That is precisely what baffles me. I have already prepared the temple, yet the King Buddha has not taken his seat, off doing who knows what. Could there have been... some upheaval within the Pure Land?" The corners of Zhang Sheng's mouth tilted up into a faint smile. "Why are you in such a hurry for the King Buddha to take his seat?" Wei Yuan was at a loss for words, not knowing how to explain. Zhang Sheng's lips moved soundlessly, yet the thought bloomed clearly within Wei Yuan's consciousness: *Are you trying to...* The word remained unspoken, yet it exploded within Wei Yuan's heart. Coming from a peerless sword cultivator who was lucid as a mirror and untainted by mortal dust, that single phrase packed more devastation than any heavenly lightning tribulation. It shook Wei Yuan's mind so violently that he could find no rest day or night, his cultivation retrograded, and his mastery over the Desolate Roar drifted infinitely out of reach... *** Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan sat across from one another, still in the reception hall, drinking the very same tea. It was the third day of the month, no different from the first, making one feel as though time itself had frozen. Zhang Sheng was deep in thought, and Wei Yuan sat in silent reflection. After a long while, Zhang Sheng finally spoke: "Though our cultivation is somewhat lofty, bearing children shouldn't be so exceedingly difficult. Why is there no sign of anything at all?" Wei Yuan was equally troubled by the matter, but had no answer. Failing to understand, sword qi began to stir in Zhang Sheng's eyes as she said quietly, "I suspect those bald donkeys are making mischief behind our backs." Wei Yuan could only offer a bitter smile; he could never hope to match her ability to redirect blame. Yet a gentle, clear light currently enveloped Zhang Sheng's entire being, keeping her temper largely subdued; she merely let out a soft huff and dropped the subject. However, she soon added, "The monks have indeed been acting strangely of late. I think we need to consider carefully: if we are to contend with the Pure Land, what are we contending for?" Wei Yuan pondered as he spoke slowly: "If we speak of contention, that between our Palace of Grand Beginning and the Pure Land is a conflict of doctrines, a battle between Dao and Buddha—it borders on a struggle for the world itself. "At our standing, we all naturally wish to ascend to immortality. In the final analysis, a struggle of doctrines is a struggle for heavenly authority. In the past, whenever immortals engaged in battles of life and death, it was almost always over some vital authority. At the realm of an Ancestral Shaman, one enters another tier entirely, where the struggle is over the world itself." Zhang Sheng nodded. "Then perhaps someone in the Pure Land has come into conflict with your fundamental path, or someone has set their eyes on an authority belonging to the King Buddha." "Most likely." "Then what do you intend to do?" Wei Yuan rose and paced the room, speaking in measured tones: "There is another dimension to this matter: once one seizes the authority of heaven and earth, what is one to do with it? On this point, I differ from the immortals throughout the ages..." As he said this, the sky outside suddenly darkened. Cold winds howled over the Ancestral Mountain, and the sun in the heavens blurred as though veiled behind sheer gauze. Across a thousand li, cultivators felt their hearts skip a beat, struck with inexplicable dread. Yet inside the reception hall, everything remained unchanged. Wei Yuan was completely oblivious to the phenomenon; the radiance inadvertently radiating from him illuminated every corner of the room, scorching several wisps of dark aura out of existence. After pacing a few circuits, Wei Yuan's thoughts finally cleared. "The immortal scions of foreign races emphasize dominance, often employing bloodline techniques to control the mortal realm through their own descendants. Many human immortals claim to be carefree and unbound, yet in reality, they establish immortal dynasties, anchor prestigious clans, or found sects, ultimately seeking dominion over a territory. "The difference is this: they think only of how to bend the mortal realm to their will, whereas I wish to transform heaven and earth so that people may live better lives! "Therefore..." Wei Yuan's gaze turned dark and profound, an enigmatic shift taking place deep within his pupils. Across a hundred li outside, lightning flickered everywhere, striking terror into all living beings! Before Zhang Sheng, Wei Yuan hid nothing. "For the sake of the world, for the sake of all living beings, it is best that the authority of the Great Dao rests in my hands. "Whatever authority I require, I shall seize. If anyone stands in my path, they must yield. If they do not yield, they die!"