Flipping the Table: If Anyone Has to Die, It's You!

Caught between the living souls of the world and his revered master, Bai Ze was trapped in an impossible dilemma. If he struck, he would kill wrongly, tarnishing his Buddha heart. If he did not, he would betray his original purpose, leaving his Buddha heart flawed. Either way, Shang Yanran would achieve her goal and seize the Great Sun Golden Lotus in the confusion. Seeing through all this, Qi Yuan felt utterly speechless. This Slate of Fate played with destiny all day long, yet was so timid. If Qi Yuan were in its position, he wouldn't care about consequences—he would have swallowed the Great Sun Golden Lotus whole right from the start. What kind of Slate of Fate didn't even dare to swallow the lotus? Still, Qi Yuan was also stuck in a bind. If Bai Ze remembered he was once the Archdemon, the Liufeng Realm would be thoroughly doomed. Yet if Qi Yuan did not expose Shang Yanran as the demoness and the spirit of the Slate of Fate, her scheme would succeed. Meanwhile, Shang Yanran gazed at Bai Ze, her eyes filled with anticipation. "Join forces with me and slay the Archdemon, and peace will return to the world! If you refuse to kill..." A murky haze crept into Bai Ze's clear eyes. It was the mark left on his Buddha heart by the Slate of Fate ten thousand years ago. He looked toward Qi Yuan, then at the hundred thousand Sovereigns, sorrow filling his gaze. "I..." He could not speak. On one side was his revered master; on the other were all living souls under heaven. Qi Yuan glanced at Bai Ze and called out loudly, "Bai Ze, I will teach you one last lesson! "All troubles in this world arise from clinging to memory. "Forget everything, and trouble ceases to exist." Bai Ze's Buddha heart churned violently once again. *One last lesson?* *Could it be that Master intends to sacrifice himself for the world's living souls, just like last time?* Shang Yanran froze for a moment, then felt a burst of wild joy. Ning Tao's eyes contracted. She stared blankly at Qi Yuan, not saying a word. Yet her gaze spoke volumes. Every Sovereign on the field looked at Qi Yuan in the exact same manner, which struck him as downright bizarre. Did everyone truly believe he was about to sacrifice himself to save the world? Since when had his character ever been so noble? Immediately after, however, he turned his gaze onto Shang Yanran. "Master will also teach you one last lesson. "Toying with people's hearts and playing with fate has no future. Only by grasping true power can you command hearts and master destiny." For some inexplicable reason, hearing those words caused Shang Yanran's pupils to shrink, a sudden wave of dread rising in her heart. *Does the Blood Lord... know something?* *How could he possibly know?!* Qi Yuan declared in a resounding voice, "Shang Yanran, who the true demoness is—aren't you well aware?" Panic appeared on Shang Yanran's face for the very first time. She shrieked frantically, "You cannot speak of it!" If the truth was spoken aloud, the Buddha would remember everything. The Great Sun Golden Lotus would incinerate all creation. The Liufeng Realm would be ruined, and she would be doomed right along with it! Qi Yuan turned a deaf ear to her cries. Human hearts? Schemes? Fate? Lacking real strength, that was the only nauseating filth she could play with! Such utter garbage, nothing more than a clown putting on an act—he would flip the damn table right now! Such a final boss possessed no class whatsoever! "Shang Yanran, you are the demoness! You are the spirit of the Slate of Fate!" "Bai Ze, you are the Buddha, and you were once the Archdemon!" "Everything that transpired in the Mirror of Myriad Demons was your entire life!" Without the slightest reservation, Qi Yuan laid out the raw truth for all to hear. His voice reverberated throughout the Gate of Myriad Demons, leaving everyone utterly stunned. Shang Yanran was consumed by sheer terror. "No! Everyone will die! We'll all die! I must leave this place! Get me out of here!" She truly panicked! The Liufeng Realm was done for! Even the Myriad Demons Realm linked to the Gate of Myriad Demons would be annihilated because of this! Having spent her entire existence manipulating destiny and human hearts, she was exposed on the spot like a cheap circus clown, stripped of any semblance of an expert. At that moment, endless waves of emotion surged through Bai Ze's eyes. Countless memories crashed into his mind like an overwhelming deluge. A terrifying aura began to emanate from the Heartless Lotus. Shang Yanran tried to flee, but Qi Yuan's sword barred her path. "Where do you think you're going? Hurry back to Gotham City! Batman's waiting to beat you senseless!" "Madman! You are completely insane!" Shang Yanran shrieked in desperation. She desperately wanted to escape, but she could not leave at all. A chaotic, sinister aura continuously poured from Bai Ze's body. All manner of horrific emotions accumulated upon the Heartless Lotus. Looking at the Heartless Lotus, Shang Yanran's eyes finally filled with utter despair. "It's over... It's all over! We are all going to die! The Liufeng Realm is truly doomed!" She raved like a lunatic, completely stripped of her previous poise and confidence. On the battlefield, the hundred thousand Sovereigns looked toward Bai Ze in unison, dread and apprehension rising in their hearts. They had a terrible premonition that a catastrophic disaster was about to unfold! "Hahaha! Blood Lord, you are the true sinner! You made Bai Ze remember his past! The Great Sun Golden Lotus is the relic of the Great Sun Radiant Buddha! Covered in dust, it will burn all things in the world to ash! "Hahaha! The Gate of Myriad Manifestations is closed! No one can escape! Hahaha, everyone must die!" Shang Yanran glared viciously at Qi Yuan. It was all him! All his fault! The sinner of the entire world! Just then, Bai Ze opened his eyes. They were a terrifying, solid crimson. Anyone who met his gaze felt overwhelming dread seize their soul. Bai Ze's eyes immediately locked onto Shang Yanran. His gaze held sorrow, helplessness, but above all, utter chaos. Every memory of his past life had returned. He would no longer be able to control himself and would become the true Archdemon. The dust-covered Great Sun Golden Lotus also began igniting to reduce the world to ashes. "Revered Master..." A fleeting glimmer of clarity surfaced in Bai Ze's eyes, and he let out a long sigh. It was impossible to tell whether he resented Qi Yuan for uncovering the truth or was contemplating something else. "Haha! In just a hundred breaths, this realm will be thoroughly destroyed! "Once the Great Sun Golden Lotus ignites, it cannot be stopped!" Shang Yanran was now completely unhinged. "Blood Lord, haha, there are no winners in this battle! We are all losers!" A heavy dread weighed on everyone's heart, accompanied by panic. Yet at that very moment, Qi Yuan appeared unnervingly calm. "Who said there are no winners?" "In this game, once I kill you, I clear the stage!" As he spoke, Qi Yuan looked at Bai Ze, who was on the verge of falling to demonic madness. "Bai Ze, do you still remember what I just taught you? "Only through oblivion can the world be free of troubles." A sliver of clarity remained within Bai Ze's chaotic gaze. "Master, this disciple is useless and cannot forget. "I cannot forget those I slaughtered. "I cannot forget those whose bodies were torn apart by inner demons and perished. "This disciple is a sinner... This disciple is an Archdemon!" "If you can't forget on your own, I'll help you forget!" Qi Yuan shouted. Since he couldn't forget, Qi Yuan would just beat Bai Ze into senility until he did! "Do not resist! Let me help you forget!" The Great Oblivion Heart Scripture was unleashed at that very instant. A sneer hung on Shang Yanran's face. "Oblivion? That's nothing more than deceiving yourself!" Yet Bai Ze complied completely with Qi Yuan's instruction and did not resist at all. When the origin divine ability of the Great Oblivion Heart Scripture descended upon his body, another trace of clarity returned to his eyes. "So that is how it is." At this moment, he experienced a sudden enlightenment. *Bodhi originally has no tree, where can dust alight?* Why his revered master possessed a second origin divine ability, and why it was of such a nature—Bai Ze did not ponder it, nor did he allow it to burden his mind. He looked at Qi Yuan, his eyes radiant with Buddhist serenity. "Revered Master, before I forget everything, I shall put an end to her." His grievances with the demoness, along with his grudges against the Slate of Fate, would finally come to a close. Bai Ze made his move. At this moment, the power he unleashed far surpassed that of a Grand Sovereign. A look of frenzy surfaced on Shang Yanran's face. "Why? What on earth is this?!" She couldn't understand why the burning of the Great Sun Golden Lotus had slowed down slightly. What had the Blood Lord done to Bai Ze?! "All evils and inauspicious things in this world shall be forgotten." Bai Ze struck down a palm onto Shang Yanran. That palm surpassed Grand Sovereigns, surpassing everything. Even Qi Yuan was moved by the sight. He would not have been able to block that palm strike. As the palm fell, the evil was extinguished, and the Slate of Fate finally shattered. Shang Yanran's final expression was filled with madness. "Once the Great Sun Golden Lotus ignites, it cannot be stopped! Every last one of you will die!" With those final words, she perished on the spot. A helpless expression crossed Qi Yuan's face. In clearing this dungeon, the Sovereigns had been slaughtered by the hundred thousand Sovereigns. The final boss had been killed by Bai Ze. Had he simply come along for the ride? Still, slacking off like this felt pretty great. Just as she had hundreds of thousands of years ago, Shang Yanran fell once again by the hand of the great Buddha. *[City of No Return dungeon cleared. Rewards acquired.]* A game notification chimed. *[Reward 1: Obtained Key Fragment x99.]* *[Reward 2: You may name the key once.]* Shang Yanran's demise marked the absolute conclusion of the North-South Accord. The quest to guard the City of No Return was finally complete. Qi Yuan had finally obtained his long-awaited quest rewards. Yet right now, he had no time to focus on rewards, looking instead at Bai Ze. If Bai Ze continued to fall to demonic madness, the Great Sun Golden Lotus would burn this entire realm to nothingness. Everyone would perish. After slaying Shang Yanran, frenzy and clarity coexisted within Bai Ze's eyes. He looked toward the hundred thousand Sovereigns behind Qi Yuan, then at the steadily burning Great Sun Golden Lotus. Profound emotion swirled in his eyes as he spoke: "Revered Master, even if I forget everything... "The past has already occurred. "The Great Sun Golden Lotus will ultimately consume all in flames. "This realm... will still be destroyed." Shang Yanran had been right. With no way to leave this realm, even escaping into the Myriad Demons Realm would do no good. The Great Sun Golden Lotus would incinerate both realms. Furthermore, even without the lotus, as long as the demonic monstrosities within the hundred thousand Sovereigns remained, the Liufeng Realm would still face complete destruction one day. "That's because your forgetting wasn't thorough enough," Qi Yuan remarked. If his origin divine ability had reached the Engraving realm, he could have made Bai Ze forget far more. Unfortunately, Bai Ze's true body was simply too powerful. Even though he had completely opened his mind and let Qi Yuan cast the Great Oblivion Heart Scripture unimpeded, he could not truly forget entirely. Or perhaps, deep down, Bai Ze still refused to let go. The Great Sun Golden Lotus burned continuously, and every Sovereign on the field grew panicked. They could sense the overwhelming mortal threat. This lotus would scorch the firmament and incinerate everything. Bai Ze looked toward the Gate of Myriad Demons, his narrow eyes filled with helplessness. "Even with oblivion, I can only restrain the Great Sun Golden Lotus for a century. "A century later... this realm will still be reduced to ash. "Unless this monk attains true Oblivion. "Yet if even the Slate of Fate could cause this monk to sink into depravity, how could I ever comprehend true, great oblivion?" Just then, Qi Yuan experienced a sudden premonition. Having cleared the game, he was about to leave this world. The Great Sun Golden Lotus would burn this realm to ashes, but it could not reach the Canglan Realm. He looked at Bai Ze. "How about giving the Great Sun Golden Lotus to me?" A flicker of astonishment crossed Bai Ze's eyes. Then he heard Qi Yuan continue, "I'm thinking of condensing a Golden Core, and this Great Sun Golden Lotus looks pretty good." Bai Ze felt even more bewildered. Right now, whoever took the Great Sun Golden Lotus would be the first to die. "If Master desires it, please take it," Bai Ze replied. He did not know what his master intended, but whatever Qi Yuan wished to do now, he would not stand in his way. The relic left behind by the Great Sun Radiant Buddha had become the root cause of the world's destruction. Even having forgotten the reality of being an Archdemon, Bai Ze still felt immense guilt. Qi Yuan stared at the Great Sun Golden Lotus, a fierce determination flashing in his eyes. Time was running out. He was about to clear the game and leave this realm. He took a deep look at Canary in her black dress. She looked a little different from before—cooler, yet more enchanting. Canary's eyes had never left the figure in the blood-red robe. Meeting his eyes, she understood his intention instantly. She smiled, bursting with myriad charms. "Blood Pearl, no matter when, I am willing to accompany you... and willing to wait for you." Just as it had been at Mount Jiupan. As she spoke, the black veil on her face fluttered away, revealing her pale, flawed left cheek to Qi Yuan's sight at last. Looking at the character for "demon" upon it, and at Ning Tao's breathtaking beauty, Qi Yuan recalled what he had once said. "Canary has always been the greatest beauty of the Eighteen Mountains." She had never been ugly. At that moment, Canary could no longer hold back. Just like at the Ends of the Earth, she threw herself into Qi Yuan's arms, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist and clinging to his body like a delicate pendant. Qi Yuan held her, a smile in his eyes. *This damn game really does want to give me a digital waifu!* Turning back toward the Great Sun Golden Lotus, he abruptly opened his mouth. The blazing Great Sun Golden Lotus slid directly down Qi Yuan's throat into his stomach. Scorching, scalding heat, capable of incinerating all things... Yet there was not the slightest fear on Qi Yuan's face. An endless, terrifying aura threatened to tear Qi Yuan apart from the inside out. Right now, he felt incomparably powerful, yet also as though he might detonate at any second. Canary hugged Qi Yuan, quiet as a little bird, saying nothing. Under the gaze of countless onlookers, she felt no bashfulness, only cherishing every single second of this moment. Gripping his blood-colored sword, Qi Yuan suddenly turned toward the hundred thousand Sovereigns behind him. "The world's inner demons are all illusions!" "Forget the inner demons, and they cease to exist!" Amplified by the Great Sun Golden Lotus, Qi Yuan's voice resounded through the Gate of Myriad Demons and echoed across the entire Liufeng Realm. "Demonic monstrosities of the world, heed my decree: unite to forge this blade!" Cradling Canary with his left arm, Qi Yuan raised the blood-red sword high toward the firmament with his right hand. This sword had been forged from all the world's origins of monstrosity. It was also a dharma artifact Qi Yuan had formed after experiencing the Archdemon's life and stripping it away. In a sense, this blade could be considered the ultimate source of this realm's monstrosities. Even more, it was the sword engraved with the Virtual Realm Sovereign's Inner Demon Summons. With this action, Qi Yuan intended to engrave every inner demon in this realm onto the sword! Seeing this, Bai Ze smiled serenely. "Allow me to assist Master!" Boundless Buddhist light surged onto the blood-red blade. Across the heavens of the entire Liufeng Realm, an enormous blood-red sword materialized. Pride, greed, sloth... Endless emotions washed over the crimson blade. A majestic Buddhist hymn also resonated throughout the Liufeng Realm at that very moment. Within the City of No Return, Yuan Qi looked up at the colossal sword in the sky. A smile touched his lips, yet it carried immense loneliness. "Guardian..." Across the Hundred and Eight Thousand Cities, every cultivator raised their heads to the heavens, their eyes filled with either confusion or relief. In the streets and alleys, countless people stared at the blood-red sword, dropping to their knees in prostration without knowing what else to do. Countless inner demons soared toward the firmament at that moment, merging into the blood-red sword. Qi Yuan's body grew hotter and hotter, white steam billowing continuously from him. Having absorbed countless inner demons, the blood-red sword appeared even more bizarre and sinister, like a peerless blade of slaughter and ruin! A single strike from it would be enough to shake the entire world. A look of profound relief appeared on Bai Ze's face. He looked at Qi Yuan with pure admiration. Once this matter was resolved, he would not return to the Buddha Realm. For all eternity, generation after generation, he would remain in this realm. Yet he still wondered how his revered master planned to resolve the Great Sun Golden Lotus. Meanwhile, Qi Yuan endured the agonizing, searing pain inside his body. He looked at Canary, a touch of reluctance lingering in his eyes. "I have to go..." Canary held him tightly. Only after several breaths did she murmur softly, "This young miss... has fallen asleep." Qi Yuan looked at Canary's closed eyes and her slender eyelashes trembling ever so slightly, as though she truly had drifted off to sleep. Seeing this, he finally spoke: "This time, I will not search for you at the end of time." There was another sentence Qi Yuan left unsaid: *However... your memory might fail you, and you might forget me from time to time.* Canary, seemingly asleep, smiled faintly, a shallow dimple appearing beneath the character for "demon." Holding Canary, Qi Yuan glanced at everyone present, including the Thirteen Northern Demon Fiends who had charged into the Gate of Myriad Demons to awaken him. Everyone looked back at the figure resembling a blazing blood sun, their eyes filled with complex emotions. Ling Yayi forced a smile. "Master, if there is a reincarnation, please remember the name Ling Yayi." He did not know what the Blood Lord intended to do. Yet he knew the ending would inevitably be a parting. He Wu's gaze was bleak as he remained silent. Sovereign Yang Hun was even more exaggerated. A dignified Sovereign, his eyes actually brimmed with tears. "Blood Lord... Waaah..." A key materialized in Qi Yuan's hand. It was none other than the key rewarded for the quest to guard the City of No Return. *[Please name the key.]* Qi Yuan looked toward the Gate of Myriad Demons, a glint of determination flashing in his eyes. "The Key of Myriad Manifestations!" Indeed, he named this key the Key of Myriad Manifestations. Looking at the Gate of Myriad Demons, he smiled. "Now, you are the Gate of Myriad Manifestations!" The gate could appear differently to each person who saw it. It could be the Gate of Myriad Fiends, or the Gate of Myriad Demons. Right now, it was the Gate of Myriad Manifestations. At the sound of Qi Yuan's voice, a gate materialized before him in the sky. Strange, bizarre symbols covered its surface. Among them was a symbol that anyone who looked at it would instantly forget ever seeing. Holding Canary with one arm and clutching his sword with the other, Qi Yuan flew toward the gate. The Gate of Myriad Manifestations! He inserted the key into the lock. *Click.* The massive gate swung open. A vast, desolate, deep, and dark aura swept out. Qi Yuan could see nothing. Holding Canary close, he plunged headfirst into the darkness. The Gate of Myriad Manifestations snapped shut behind them in an instant. Like a hundred thousand soldiers seeing off the Dragon King in an urban fantasy, the hundred thousand Sovereigns roared in unison, "We respectfully see off the Blood Lord!" Qi Yuan heard none of it; he had already departed the Liufeng Realm. "Hold on tight!" Qi Yuan yelled, holding Canary with one arm and brandishing his sword with the other. He felt as if he had plunged into a bottomless ocean abyss. His body and his divine soul were subjected to immense, crushing repulsion. It was as though something was violently compressing him. "Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment!" he bellowed, thrusting his sword forward. The primordial chaos ahead finally parted. What greeted Qi Yuan's eyes was an endless expanse of countless stars across the night sky. The stars were legion, boundless and breathtaking. A river of silver spanned the heavens. He peered closer. *[This is a star; it does not yet have a name.]* This was an actual, physical star, not a mere projection! Qi Yuan felt a surge of excitement. "Isn't this... the 'universe' where the Canglan Realm resides?" The Great Sun Golden Lotus burned scalding hot, threatening to incinerate everything. Yet inside, Qi Yuan was thrilled beyond measure. "Turns out blackmailing the Heavenly Dao is pretty damn useful after all!"