Journey of the Fate Destroying Emperor

Chapter 1694: Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha

Despite the dire situation, Red Dust did not despair. His Dharma Heart was unparalleled, one of the best among all the monks in the Eternal Ascension World. Before the Saint ascended to a higher state of being, even her will and determination were not on par with his. He used the brief reprieve he had to access the court’s world source reserve and used as much as possible to forcefully remove the prototype Saint Will inside his body.

"Hmm?" Wan Yanmei muttered as she watched the monk regenerate his body. ’That fluctuation — did he use World Source?’ Typically, it would be unheard of to use such valuable resources in this way. But Wan Yanmei already knew the primordial timeline had created an ingenious system to save and utilize world sources for the war.

"What a waste," she murmured before slashing the connection. Red Dust’s expression turned grave: without the world source, he won’t last even half an hour against this woman.

[Unbreakable Karmic Ties]

Everything is karma, everything has a cause and an effect. Some karma can be repaid, but others, no matter what actions taken, cannot be compensated for — for example, any kind of heinous crime. After all, what can someone do to repay for the act of killing someone’s loved one? For causing so much pain and loss to another? With a flick of his finger, Red Dust reinforced the karmic connection to the court’s source pool with the karmic bond of countless sinners.

Red Dust’s completion turned pale as he suffered backlash from the attack. However, he gritted his teeth and continued to reinforce the connection. His actions were obviously futile, but this was one of the only choices he had. The sinful monk gritted his teeth. Staying passive was not the way to go, so he steeled his heart to attack.

[Bridge of Forgetfulness]

A terrifying black bridge appeared between Heaven and Earth, with an old woman sitting atop it. A cauldron stood in front of her, and she calmly scooped a bowl from it. The elderly then glanced at Wan Yanmei before dropping the soup on her.

Wan Yanmei immediately felt her memories slowly evaporating even before the soup touched her. ’This is not simple memory wiping, but erasing my past — erasing my sins. Is his Dao related to Atonement?’ While all of Red Dust’s attacks appeared to be Death/Samsara Dao, Wan Yanmei could tell that it was not his exact Dao — just a significant aspect of it.

’I guess it doesn’t matter as long as I kill him as soon as possible,’ Wan Yanmei concluded. She raised her palm, and the bridge — along with everything else — turned into black ink that morphed into palm. Red Dust’s heart skipped a beat as he watched his own attack being redirected toward him.

"What the hell did she just do?’ Whatever technique that was, it had nothing to do with Erasure Laws. A sense of death loomed over him as the black palm descended toward him: this attack not only contained the original Death Laws, but it was also even more potent than when the monk used it.

A thousand towering and intimidating golden Buddhas manifested in this dimension, and they used their palms to protect Red Dust. For the first time since this fight started, he successfully blocked one of her attacks, but he was not happy. He was forced to draw on the power of the Ten Thousand Buddha Haven, which he could use only a few times as a last resort.

’How am I supposed to last long enough against this terrifying woman?’ Red Dust has faced countless individuals before, but none have ever left him so overwhelmed.

’I have a plan.’

’Qiyuan?’

’Do as I say and you will not only accomplish your mission but also benefit.’

’Oh? I’m listening.’ Red Dust’s eyes shone with brilliant light: such an ingenious plan. There was no need to hesitate. A projection of a red world exited from Red Dust’s body. The world displayed a truly horrifying sight: an incalculable number of sinners having their crimes read out loud before being tortured. The strange thing is that all the prisoners or sinners were different variations of Red Dust himself.

"Can you bear the weight of all my sins?" Red Dust calmly asked as he threw the Sinner World at Wan Yanmei.

"You should know such tactics won’t work on me," The First Commander calmly stated as she erased all the sins coming her way. Her hand moved as if holding a brush and molding a canvas. Her movements were graceful while hiding the terrifying power of each stroke.

’How much sin has this man committed?’ Wan Yanmei thought. More than a minute had passed, and there was still a significant portion of sins remaining. ’Something is wrong. It seems like he’s using a desperate tactic to stall for as long as possible, but there is a hidden calmness and composure to his action.’

With a thought, Wan Yanmei combined Red Dust’s past, present, and future into one so she could have a better understanding of his opponent and predict what he’s doing. Unfortunately, the [History Lock] rendered the present and past useless, leaving only the future — which was originally her primary objective. With only one glance, Wan Yanmei saw a golden being of purity and radiance.

’No, I’ve been tricked.’ Unfortunately, it was too late. The last sin was erased, and Red Dust’s red-gold aura turned pure golden. A pure, harmonious, and holy light emitting from the monk’s body with the natural power to soothe the mind and soul.

"My father was a sinner, his face branded with a tattoo as an eternal mark for his atrocities," Red Dust said. "The only good thing he has ever done in his life was selling me to a temple for money to gamble.

"The moment I started my cultivation journey, one question has always plagued me: What does it mean to be a Buddha? I asked all my fellow disciples and seniors, and I received different answers. Some said a Buddha is someone with a high cultivation realm. Others claimed that a Buddha is someone detached from the woes and suffering of the world, someone praised and revered by mortals, or a higher being who will save all sentient beings from their suffering.

"I couldn’t completely agree with their definition, so I traveled the world to search for my Buddha. After years of searching, meditation, and a bit of luck, I came to realize that a Buddha is someone capable of saving a sinner like my father — someone capable of redeeming all the sinners in the universe. So, I made an oath that I will never become a Buddha until all the sins in the world are eradicated.

"On the path of fulfilling my oath, I have arrested countless sinners and absorbed their sins to purify. I’ve garnered the ire of the Yama Kings by breaking into the Underworld to absorb countless sinners and redeem their poor souls."

Red Dust calmly glanced at the frowning Wan Yanmei, his body still releasing the pure golden lights. "Thank you, donor, you’ve helped me take a small step forward toward my grand ambition." Red Dust looked in the distance; his soul resonated with something, making him smile.

"Today, I have condensed the Bodhisattva Fruit, and from today on, I shall be known as Ksitigarbha. Heaven and Earth be my witness, my oath shall remain eternal even if I am sanctified." An unknown power descended into Red Dust — no, Ksitigarbha — soul, further reinforced his oath. Then, a cloud of golden merits descended from the sky to condense a third-rank Golden Body of Merit.

Wan Yanmei frowned. ’Is this Spirit Inheritance?’ She knew that some powerful entities — mostly Saints — could revive themselves in another form through Spirit Inheritance. The person who inherits their spirit will take on their names, cause and effect, and goal/obsession. However, this method is not technically a revival but more of a passing of the legacy. Of course, plenty of cultivators use the Spirit Inheritance for nefarious means, but usually, it’s a manifestation of a Saint’s obsession.

Ksitigarbha rushed toward his opponent for a direct clash of their bodies. Wan Yanmei sneered. The bastard had already used her to achieve his grand cause, pissing her off. Did she think a third-rank Golden Body of Merit was enough to make up for their gap in strength? With a gentle palm, she was prepared to severely injure him. However, at the last minute, Wan Yanmei retracted most of the force — resulting in a small backlash, forcing herself to put some distance from the monk.

Ksitigarbha did not let this opportunity pass and pursued it. However, the same action repeated itself. As she was about to strike, Wan Yanmei was forced to reduce most of her attack strength.

’Damn it,’ she cursed. This monk was using his status as a [Sage] to threaten her. Every time she was about to attack, he would remove all the protection of the golden body and even reduce his defensive abilities, wishing she could kill him.

’I cannot kill a [Sage] of this caliber, or my Transcendent Path will be ruined,’ Wan Yanmei thought with gritted teeth.