Transcending the Nine Heavens

Upon hearing Bu Liuqing’s words, especially hearing the name ‘Dongfang Badao’, the Dharma Supreme’s face turned pale quite suddenly.

At this moment, his face was as pale as a ghost.

His long hair parted from the middle and moved without wind, undulating just like long black snakes floating from his head in mid-air. He shot an ominous look and stared at Bu Liuqing. Word by word, he asked, “Bu Liuqing, what do you mean?”

Bu Liuqing raised his head slowly. With a mysterious look, he said painfully, “This body of yours, it belongs to Dongfang Badao, but you are not him.”

As he looked up, he shot a piercing look into the Dharma Supreme’s eyes. “You were the one from the Nine Tribulations 20,000 years ago!”

The Dharma Supreme fell silent, and his eyes became two bottomless pits. “Brother Bu, what you’re saying today is really strange,” he muttered.

“You don’t have to rummage through your memory.” Bu Liuqing continued faintly, “Back then, Dongfang Badao failed to win over Xiao Yi’s heart. On the day of my marriage with Xiao Yi, he drank till he was drunk as a lord, then forcibly sealed his own memory!”

“Three thousand years later, Dongfang Badao came looking for me for a drink, telling me he finally managed to remove a portion of his memory from his heart, after three thousand years.”

“Dongfang Badao is the best friend of my life! He is also the only person Xiao Yi trusts most in her life, other than me!”

“Xiao Yi was born weak and endowed with a frail body; although I exhausted all my efforts to keep her alive, I could only keep her by my side for 900 years, eventually unable to stop the passage of time. Like a candle in the wind, she eventually died!”

“If I had the powers I have now back then, Xiao Yi might not have died… Sigh…” At this point in time, Bu Liuqing heaved a heavy sigh into the sky.

Bu Liuqing’s eyes filled with deep emotion. He continued, “After 2,100 years of Xiao Yi’s death, Dongfang Badao found me. He told me that in order not to let Xiao Yi or me down, he removed part of his memory, to prevent himself from thinking of her. Yet, as he removed part of his memory, he inadvertently lost a part of his spirit as well.”

At this juncture, Chu Yang, who had been hiding behind Zi Xieqing’s aura all this while, shuddered.

Bewildered, Zi Xieqing turned her head around. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

With a mysterious expression, Chu Yang replied, “So that’s what it is… Dongfang Badao’s friendship with Bu Liuqing and his undying devotion to his lover is scary yet admirable!”

“Friendship? Devotion?” It was quite obvious Zi Xieqing could not comprehend such complex emotions.

This man was his best friend’s love rival. Yet, on the night of the marriage between his best friend and his lover, he sealed his own memories away; why?

Furthermore, after 3,000 years, the woman would have been dead for 2,100 years. Yet, he succeeded in his cultivation where he chose to destroy a part of his spirit and wipe out part of his original memory forever!

Why would he do it?

Wu Qianqian sighed and said, “Perhaps, I can explain.”

“Oh?” said Zi Xieqing, tilting her head.

“Dongfang Badao and Bu Liuqing were good friends. Both fell for the same woman, who was also at the same time, their best friend. They even share the same hometown. This woman eventually chose to marry Bu Liuqing, instead of Dongfang Badao.”

“Since she had been married, Dongfang Badao was left without hope. However, his devotion to her was way too deep and impossible for him to let go. Yet, the person, whom he couldn’t let go, was his best friend’s wife! Even if he did not verbalize it, he felt he was letting his friend down and that such thoughts towards his beloved woman seemed to have in a way violated her chastity.”

“So he sealed away his own memory. He sealed away his love, which fulfilled his own friendship and love. This is the greatest act of love from a man to the woman he loves!”

“After 3,000 years however, he went looking for Bu Liuqing to tell him he removed part of his memory. With his beloved one dead, keeping that piece of memory would just let Bu Liuqing down further. Hence, he was bent on removing his memories even if it means destroying part of his spirit! He is a righteous man and one who truly worth befriending.”

Wu Qianqian explained softly.

Letting out a long “Oh,” Zi Xieqing could not help but frown and ponder.

Chu Yang sighed. “It’s unimaginable. He must’ve been so heartbroken when he sealed away his own memory, and even more painful when he decided to remove it! This pain lies not in losing part of his spirit, but the greatest pain inflicted on his mind! How admirable! How unfortunate!”

“It really is admirable to have existed such a good man. Unfortunately, this gentleman of indomitable spirit is now dead, long gone and forgotten. Even now his own body has been occupied by others.”

Chu Yang let out a long sigh.

Wu Qianqian sighed too. To think about the then heroic Dongfang Badao, left dejected and lonely… Wu Qianqian could not help but feel her heart ache a little.

There was no doubt about this matter. If Dongfang Badao was not a righteous hero of unparalleled dignity, he would never have been the chosen one for the next Dharma Supreme.

Chu Yang also finally understood why the Enforcers, who have always been on the side of whoever wields the Nine Tribulations Sword for a hundred thousand years, would choose to turn their back against him when he came to be the master of the Sword.

So that’s how it was!

At this moment, with his long hair waving in the air, the Dharma Supreme contemplated and chuckled slightly. “Brother Bu, how absurd! It’s impossible.”

Bu Liuqing ignored him, but his eyes filled deep with hatred. Glaring at the Dharma Supreme, he bellowed, “You can deny it all you want! I don’t expect you to believe it too!”

He sneered and continued slowly, “It was 13,406 years ago when Dongfang Badao looked for me!”

Bu Liuqing emphasized on every word.

He even remembered the time it took place beyond doubt. It was clear how devastating the episode was for him!

“As for you, you took over as the title of Dharma Supreme 13,000 years ago!”

“Come to think of it now, you must have taken advantage of when Badao crushed his own spirit to remove his memories and took control over his body!”

“At that time, I was so happy for Badao. On the day I received the news that Badao took over as the Dharma Supreme, I put everything down and traveled across the lands to Law-Enforcement City especially to celebrate the occasion with him! I was hoping to have a merry drink with the best friend of my life!”

Bu Liuqing’s voice quivered, and he forced hollow laughter, filled with sorrow. “My brother, my friend, fellow town folk, someone whom Xiao Yi trusted had become the Dharma Supreme… Could you imagine how happy I was! My brother was on the top of the world. This was his achievement and I was proud of him!”

Bu Liuqing howled in grief. “I was proud of him! Do you hear? Proud of him! Do you hear!”

Chu Yang sighed discreetly.

Putting everything down, traveling across the lands, rushing just to especially celebrate the occasion with his best friend. Brimming with joy and a sense of pride, he was ready to join his best friend on the top of the world and tell him, “I’m coming!”

We have always been!

To tell him, no matter where you are, we shall be brothers!

What an inexplicable rush of excitement and emotion!

Yet, as Bu Liuqing arrived at his destination brimming with joy and emotion, he was shocked to discover that his best friend was no longer the person he once was! It appeared that something had occupied his best friend’s body.

He had become a complete stranger!

How must he have felt!

Chu Yang believed if he were Bu Liuqing, he would have cried out loud on the spot even to the point of desperation. To hold it in, turn his back and walk away, Bu Liuqing must have had the strongest of wills!

To think of Bu Liuqing’s dejection and grief at that point in time, the once dignified Dongfang Badao meeting with such a pitiful downfall, and Bu Liuqing’s disappointment after hoping to celebrate for his best friend…

At this moment, Wu Qianqian’s heart ached for the friendship between the two men, and tears streamed down her face.

Filled with rage and sorrow, Bu Liuqing continued, “Yet when I saw you for the first time, you merely stared at me politely… At that point I knew, he wasn’t himself anymore! He has become you!”

“Dongfang Badao was never polite in front of me! Your gaze at that point of time showed you didn’t know me at all!”

“During that time at Law-Enforcement City, being outnumbered by the highly skilled Enforcers, I retreated immediately!”

“For 13,000 years however, never have I stopped looking for opportunities to kill you! To kill you!”

Bu Liuqing cackled. “What are you? Who are you to wear my best friend’s face and go about lying and cheating? You are nothing compared to him!”

The Dharma Supreme’s had an expression as dark as coal. He said, “You’ve gone too far, Bu Liuqing. You should be fully aware that such slander against the Dharma Supreme of all Enforcers is punishable by death!”

“Pooh to your ancestors!” Bu Liuqing let out a hollow laugh. “Letting you live for 13,000 years has been enough to let Badao chide me from the underworld, f*ck your crimes punishable by death!”

The Dharma Supreme’s gaze shifted, as if he was contemplating. He was not enraged by the rude comments made. Instead, his mind seemed to be figuring something else out. Suddenly, it dawned on him. “So you are Bu Zhuizhui!”

Bu Liuqing trembled. A myriad of emotions flooded him upon hearing the name from the distant past. “That’s right, I am Bu Zhuizhui! You actually uncovered my real name from Badao’s memories!”

“I am Bu Zhuizhui! However, you’ll never find out my wife’s name. Let me tell you what it is, her name is Lian Yiyi!”

Bu Liuqing’s actual name was in fact Bu Zhuizhui. What a comical name it was!

At this moment, Chu Yang and Wu Qianqian did not find this the least bit funny. Instead, all they felt was pity!

“Bu Zhuizhui, Lian Yiyi…” The Dharma Supreme chanted the two names, frowning slightly. His face showed a hint of pain from the deep down which made him clench his jaw. After sticking it out, he muttered, “How troublesome. Not only have the memories been sealed off, but they have also been removed and moreover, 13,000 years have since passed! Yet, hearing this name alone can make this body uncontrolled by himself to quiver in pain! He couldn’t have loved her deeper then…”

Looking at his erratic behavior, instead of taking the opportunity to retaliate, Bu Liuqing’s eyes lit up.

“How troublesome!” The Dharma Supreme smiled slightly and pressed his hand against his temple.

With a serious expression, his mind seemed to be occupied with something. It appeared that he was also lamenting over this forlorn love of the distant, distant past that was once sealed away and removed, yet able to touch the body that was no longer once was after 13,000 years!

How… eternal!