First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2283 – The Dipankara Buddha, the Silent Darkness

The black alms bowl was old and worn, but it was as heavy as a towering mountain.

Su Yi held it aloft in the palm of his hand, then examined the patch of earth inside it. The dirt was yellow-gray. It flashed with subtle flecks of starlight and emanated dense life force.

This was Chaos Self-Renewing Soil! A precious, unparalleled natural marvel! It was one of Cloudy Heights Temple’s core treasures, and it had been buried in the Frigid Pool at the base of Frigid Pool Mountain.

A voice emanated from the giant skeletal hand. “It turned out that they were growing a Profound Yin Golden Lotus in the Chaos Self-Renewing Soil. However, I ripped it up by the roots before it could mature.”

Su Yi nodded, then put the black alms bowl away. “You really went to a lot of trouble.”

Madam Mei said hurriedly, “Don’t be so polite, Your Excellency Li Fuyou. We’re simply doing what we’re supposed to.”

The giant skeletal hand was grateful, too. “That’s right. If not for you, Your Excellency, we could never have broken free of our seals and escaped the Extreme Lightning Demon Cave. To us, that was an act of benevolence akin to granting us rebirth!”

Su Yi had freed them all, one by one, on the condition that they came with him to Cloudy Heights Temple and lent him a hand.

They naturally agreed without hesitation.

Su Yi rose from the wicker chair and said, “Alright then, it’s time I set off.”

“Please, wait, Your Excellency,” Madam Mei called out hurriedly, an uncharacteristic, nervous look on her face.

“What is it?” asked Su Yi.

“Forgive my boldness, but we hoped you could give us some guidance,” Madam Mei said respectfully.

The giant skeletal hand trembled and begged, “All of us are divine wraiths, and we must constantly be on guard against the power of heaven’s will. Without a clear path to life, we’ll struggle to live on even in degradation. We humbly request your benevolence. Please, enlighten us!”

Su Yi shook his head. “Trapped in the evil world of the five impurities, plagued by the eight miseries, unable to live yet unable to die. That’s what it means to be a divine wraith.

“Divine wraiths are the manifestation of resentment, blood, viciousness, and filth. You aren’t supposed to exist in this world in the first place. In life, all of you were gods. Surely you understand that?”

Madam Mei’s eyes dimmed.

The skeletal hand fell silent.

The “five impurities” were a Buddhist concept. They referred to the generations of the kalpas, vision, afflictions, sentient beings, and lifespan.

The five impurities were five types of filth that plagued the world.

Divine wraiths were among the world’s filth. They could neither live nor die. They were like impurities in the Dao of the heavens, and that made it hard for them to survive beneath its power.

But then, Su Yi changed tacks. “But if you don’t seek to return to life and are content with mere survival, I can help you.”

Madam Mei and the giant skeletal hand were overcome with delight and excitement. “Please guide us, Your Excellency Li Fuyou!”

Su Yi said calmly, “I wouldn’t go so far as to call it ‘guidance.’ Also, you have to promise me something first.”

Both ancient divine wraiths agreed without hesitation.

They knew that the knowledge was not to be transmitted lightly, and the Dao was not to be divulged to the outside world. Masters did not give away their wisdom for free, and doctors did not offer their services unprompted.

Those were the rules.

Besides, they could neither live nor die. Even if Su Yi demanded their service, they’d be all too happy to agree.

Su Yi took out a jade slip, carved it, then handed it to Madam Mei.

“This is a technique for deceiving the heavens by ‘replacing a beam for a pillar.’ So long as you don’t reveal your power, you can use this secret art to avoid detection by the Dao of the Heavens.

“If you accept this secret method from me, you must go to the Endless Ocean and lie low. I want you to gather information about the current situation there, including its factions and Master Gods.”

Madam Mei and the giant skeletal hand wept with tears of gratitude. They both agreed immediately.

“Thank you for granting us your wisdom, Your Excellency Li Fuyou! We won’t let you down. We’ll carry out our mission even if it means dying ten thousand deaths!”

Su Yi nodded.

He’d made these arrangements because he’d recalled the little monkey, whom he sent to the Endless Ocean shortly after arriving in the God Domain.

Almost a year had passed, but the little monkey had yet to contact him.

But Su Yi wasn’t actually worried. Had the little monkey sensed danger, he would have contacted him.

He was sending the divine wraiths to the Endless Ocean to arrange troops in the area in anticipation of his future visit.

Once that was settled, Su Yi didn’t linger. He just turned and left.

Madam Mei watched him fade from view before letting out a deep breath. “Ol’ Yao White Bones, His Excellency Li Fuyou trusted us, or he would never have given us that jade slip. We’ve got to work together to rally our fellows and carry out this mission!”

“Rest assured. We might have clashed for years, but in this, I’ll follow your lead and do my utmost to cooperate with you!” the skeletal hand assured her.

Madam Mei smiled. “Let’s wait until Old Daoist Sky-Swallower comes back. Then, I’ll naturally share this method with all of you.”

She was delighted because His Excellency Li Fuyou had given the jade slip to her, and not to one of the others. This show of trust made her feel valued.

She naturally wouldn’t betray his trust!

……

The Ancient Nirvana Divine Continent.

The Western Paradise Spirit Mountains.

Trees swayed in the wind on the banks of a lotus pond, scattering dreamlike, ethereal, blue-green light.

“A traitor has appeared in our ranks.”

The gaunt Dipankara Buddha sat cross-legged beneath the swaying trees. He was dressed in worn-out, wide-sleeved monk’s robes. His features were thin and aged, and his expression was calm and tranquil. He emanated no energy fluctuations whatsoever.

It was as if he’d achieved a return to simplicity.

“Who?” A female voice emanated from the shores of the nearby lotus pond.

She sat there like a shadow. Even beneath the direct sunlight, she seemed misty and illusory. It was bright out, but wherever she passed, she left the darkness of night in her wake.

Had Su Yi been here, he’d have recognized her at a glance, as he’d seen this woman before. Rather, he’d seen her avatar of will when he killed the Tailor in the Epoch of Demonism.

This was the Goddess of Silent Darkness, the one the Tailor had called his master!

Now, she was seated on the shore of a lotus pond, conversing with the Dipankara Buddha.

“The Rahu Yao Ancestor, naturally,” the Dipankara Buddha said calmly. “When I made arrangements with Cloudy Heights Temple, I used Li Fuyou’s third disciple, Ning Xiu, as bait. Then, I borrowed the Rahu Yao Ancestor’s hands to send her to Li Fuyou’s reincarnation’s side without arousing suspicion.

“I would never have divulged this, and Cloudy Heights Temple wouldn’t have leaked it either, so… It had to have been the Rahu Yao Ancestor.”

The Dipankara Buddha’s expression was a bit strange. “And the Rahu Yao Ancestor only just escaped the Extreme Lightning Demon Cave. He’s undoubtedly the source of the problem.”

He spoke calmly, but with incontrovertible power. It didn’t sound like conjecture; it sounded like he was stating a fact.

“He joined Su Yi’s cause?” The woman was obviously surprised.

“It doesn’t matter whether he’s really become Su Yi’s ally or not,” said the Dipankara Buddha. “What matters is that the Rahu Yao Ancestor is no longer worthy of trust.”

The woman casually plucked a lotus from the pond and extracted its seeds. “Then… should we get rid of him as a warning to the others?”

The Rahu Yao Ancestor was a Nine-Tribulation Master God, but she spoke of killing him with casual ease.

“No need for that,” said the Dipankara Buddha. “The situation in the God Domain is already incomparably complicated. For one thing, the ancient factions of unknown territories are coming out into the open.

“For another, spacetime nodes are popping up throughout the God Domain’s forbidden zones, and forces not of this age have begun making arrangements.

“Then, you’ve got to factor in Li Fuyou and Yi Daoxuan’s friends and allies. All of that combined means that dark currents are already flowing beneath the surface of the God Domain. A treacherous storm is brewing.”

The Dipankara Buddha sighed ruefully. “This is an unprecedented era of change, and as the saying goes, when the rivers warm up, the ducks are the first to know. Everyone knows that the Dark Days of Legend will soon be upon us. In the few short decades that remain, more and more variables will arise, and that will lead to unpredictable upheaval.

“And that heretic, Su Yi, is the eye of this treacherous storm.”

At the mention of Su Yi, the Dipankara Buddha’s expression shifted; he seemed regretful. He sighed. “It’s such a shame that we couldn’t just stop him from achieving divinity in the Path of the Ancient Gods.

“His breakthrough should have been the ideal opportunity to kill him, but because he broke through in the Path of the Ancient Gods, variables arose that prevented Di E and the old-timers of the River of Destiny from snuffing him out.

The woman chewed on a lotus seed and responded with her mouth full. “I urged you to do your utmost to kill Su Yi while he was still cultivating in the Human Realm, but you refused.”

The Dipankara Buddha said, “The lotus seed you ate is from a lotus that takes eight thousand years to flower, and another eight thousand to bear fruit. Pluck it earlier, and all you’ll get is the lotus pod; you enjoy none of the fruit.”

The woman understood what the Dipankara Buddha was getting at. It hadn’t been the right time.

“Neither Yi Daoxuan and Li Fuyou, nor Wang Ye, Shen Mu, and the Temple Master ever mastered the power of reincarnation,” the Dipankara Buddha said calmly. “But even when we killed them, they simply underwent reincarnation and received an opportunity to cultivate anew. It wasn’t a true death.

“Back then, you commanded the Tailor to make arrangements, but although both Shen Mu and the Temple Master died, you gained nothing at all in the end, did you?”

The woman fell silent.

“If you want to pluck a Dao Fruit, you have to wait for the moment it ripens,” said the Dipankara Buddha. “That’s the true reason I’ve yet to really take action all these years, and why I’ve done no more than arrange my hidden pieces in anticipation.”

“But in this incarnation, Su Yi has mastered reincarnation,” said the woman. “Why not attack him now?”

The Dipankara Buddha shook his head. “I said it earlier: it would have been best to kill Su Yi on the Path of the Ancient Gods. It’s just a pity that we let that perfect opportunity slip through our fingers.

“Now, the situation in the God Domain is complicated and uncertain. Whoever acts first will only find themselves at a disadvantage.

“Di E made a personal appearance during the battle of Skybright Mountain, but look at the results. As you can see, he failed to kill Su Yi. Worse, Su Yi used this battle to show the world his power and establish his reputation.”

He spoke with a hint of frustration. “There’s nothing for it. Di E is the one the experts of the River of Destiny have chosen as the new ‘Bringer of Order.’ None would dare to disobey him, not even me.”

The woman said thoughtfully, “Is that why you held back during the battle at Skybright Mountain?”

The Dipankara Buddha didn’t deny it. “Chess requires patience. You must plan first, then act later.

“In these unprecedented times, only the patient and clear-headed can become players in this game. Those who can’t keep their cool are doomed to become mere chess pieces!”