Outside the Wendao Sword Sect, the Longevity Bridge was on the verge of collapse.
The massive chains suspended in the air had snapped in several places. Shards of giant rocks tumbled down into the abyss beneath One Sword Gorge.
The disciples within the sect were already showing signs of exhaustion. From time to time, powerful experts would break through the sword arrays and charge into their ranks.
Casualties were mounting.
Several Guest Elders and numerous Pavilion Elders were also in a wretched state.
Ye Xianyu, who usually appeared like an untainted immortal, now had her white robes stained a vivid crimson.
Her black hair was a tangled mess, and her face was streaked with grime and blood like a stray cat.
It was impossible for others to tell whether it was her own blood or that of her enemies.
To those outside the mountain, the resistance of the Wendao Sword Sect had far exceeded their expectations.
To the people of the Wendao Sword Sect, the combat power of the invading enemies had similarly surpassed their predictions.
The situation...
Seemed to be deteriorating toward an even worse outcome.
Time...
Moved from the dusk of the second day into the deep of the night.
The dark canopy of the sky was filled with smoke that had condensed into heavy clouds, obscuring the stars and the great moon.
Yet, between heaven and earth, various colors of light flashed from time to time.
Accompanying them were the unending echoes of thunderous booms.
On a corner of the green mountains outside the sect...
A campfire burned on a solitary, hanging peak.
Three people sat by the fire, talking through the night as if they were transcendent beings far removed from the world.
They were three old men.
One wore the robes of a scholar.
One wore a bright yellow Daoist robe.
The last was a bald old monk.
The scholar stroked his beard and sipped tea, a ferule tucked into his waist.
The Daoist leaned against an old cow. A whisk was tucked into the back of his collar, and a wooden sword was strapped to his back.
The bald monk fiddled with his prayer beads, chanting a Buddhist title.
If the old monsters currently locked in fierce combat could see them, they would certainly recognize their identities.
These three were the strongest individuals in the Central Plains.
For a very long time, they had been recognized as the three most powerful humans beneath Li Taibai.
The three of them had lived even longer than Li Taibai, so their stories were incredibly long.
To put it briefly...
It was these three who had established the three great sects.
Collectively known to the world as the Three Sects.
The Confucian Immortal of Shanhai Academy.
The Daoist Ancestor of Tiandao Academy.
The Buddha of Bodhi Temple.
They were the true ancestors of the Three Sects.
They had not appeared before the public for a very long time.
Rumors in the streets claimed that, much like Li Taibai, the three of them were traveling in far-off lands.
Now that Li Taibai had fallen, the three had appeared.
Though they currently looked calm and indifferent, as if they were above worldly matters...
In reality, their shadows were behind every scene of the current chaos.
They had waited for this day for a very long time and had been laying their plans for just as long.
It had nothing to do with right or wrong, and there was no need to debate good or evil.
The three of them had always been different from most people here.
They hadn't come because they hated the Wendao Sword Sect, nor had they come to demand an explanation or settle some karma...
At their age and standing at their height...
The Red Dust Tribulation and the Heart Demon Tribulation were already behind them. Mundane matters could no longer catch their eyes.
Mundane emotions could no longer enter their hearts.
They had come solely to seek the Dao.
To seek the opening of the Sky Gate...
And take one step further.
Before the eyes of the world, just like the predecessors recorded in books from tens of thousands of years ago, they wished to ascend, attain the Dao, and become immortals. That was all.
Watching the chaos in the distance and listening to the noise nearby, the scholar slowly looked up and said with deep meaning,
“The matter cannot be rushed, yet it cannot be delayed. We cannot wait any longer.”
The old Daoist shook a green wine gourd, baring a mouthful of white teeth as he chuckled. “You scholars love to say such sanctimonious things all day long. If you want to make a move, why not just say so?”
The scholar did not deny it. He looked up at the sky and said softly, “The opportunity for the Great Dao is fleeting. Have we not waited ten thousand years just for today?”
The old Daoist looked disdainful and scoffed, “If you want to go, then go. This old man won't. If I strike at these juniors, I'm afraid that little fellow Li Taibai will laugh at me from below. I can't afford to lose face like that.”
Hearing this, the scholar let out a soft sigh.
Indeed...
Taking action against juniors would certainly invite mockery.
The prayer beads in the old monk's hand stopped moving. His tightly closed eyes slowly opened, and he spoke with an air of mystery,
“The causes of the past life are the effects of this life. All manner of karma must eventually be settled today. Even if you do not strike, you cannot distance yourself from this...”
The scholar stroked his beard.
The old Daoist furrowed his brows and snapped, “If you can talk, then talk properly. Don't give me all that nonsense.”
The scholar laughed heartily. “Look at you, still with that same temper. Getting impatient again, aren't you?”
The old monk's aged eyes were filled with compassion. He said, “Heaven has the virtue of loving life. If we do not act now and this battle continues, who knows how many more lives will be lost? Since that is the case, why not bring it to an early end?”
The scholar deeply agreed.
The old Daoist wasn't surprised either. These people were just like that—including himself—always living in a state of internal conflict.
No matter what they did, they always wanted to seek a clear conscience.
In this life, they stood very high, but they were still a bit short of reaching the heavens.
They were the elite among saints, yet they were not immortals. They had many distracting thoughts and even more selfish desires. How could they ever be as free and easy as an immortal, truly without wants or needs?
They couldn't achieve a truly clear conscience, so in many matters, they settled for the next best thing: they learned to find excuses for themselves.
Not to convince others...
But to convince themselves.
To pretend to have a clear conscience...
In the blunt words of the mundane world, they were called 'sanctimonious.'
The old Daoist didn't argue because he was that kind of person too. All the 'gentlemen' in the world...
Were exactly like that.
Except for Li Taibai...
That was why that kid was the person he admired most in his life.
Of course,
He wasn't exactly human either; he had originally come down from the heavens.
It was precisely because of this...
That the Daoist wanted to ascend to immortality even more. He wanted to climb to the heavens and see exactly what it was like up there.
And he wanted even more to become a person of the heavens, just like him.
For a very long time, he had been wondering if he would become like that person once he ascended.
Truly having a clear conscience and being transcendent...
However, with his personality, he wouldn't let anyone off with his words. He never said anything pleasant and remarked with disgust, “My Buddha is truly compassionate. Then go ahead. If you don't enter hell, who will?”
The old monk pondered for a long time before actually nodding in an unprecedented manner.
“Very well.”
Then,
He was seen slowly standing up and turning around. He paced to the edge of the mountain with a heroic air, as if he were ready to die for all living beings by stepping into hell alone.
He murmured, “The Buddha says all sentient beings suffer. I shall naturally deliver them.”
With that, he departed.
Later,
In the center of that battlefield, beneath the dark canopy of the sky, a golden Buddhist light was born, illuminating the world. Sanskrit chants echoed, and scriptures hung vertically in the air.
It was a brilliant sight.
The golden dharma body of the ancient Buddha stood there, drawing the gaze of the entire world as everyone scrambled to look upon it.
“That is...”
“The golden Buddha dharma body...”
“The Buddha has come.”
“Amitabha!”
“Damn it!”
The people of the Wendao Sword Sect were struck with panic after their initial shock, while the invaders were filled with joy.
“The old thing finally couldn't hold back, could he?”
“This fellow really didn't die.”
Even one of Jiang Wanyin's water clones, who hadn't spoken a word during the two days of battle, stared intently at the golden Buddha and spoke,
“Old bald donkey, have you finally lost your patience?”
The golden Buddhist figure spoke, its voice like a surging tide that echoed through the heavens.
“My Buddha is compassionate.”
“Benefactor Jiang, put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot, lest the living beings continue to suffer!”
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