Chapter 79

Chapter 78

The monks, each a master of the secret martial arts that had protected the thousand-year-old Shaolin Temple, had reached an almost unfathomable level of skill. The absolute defensive formation they mastered, the Indra's Secret Defense Formation, was said to be capable of blocking even attacks of natural disaster magnitude. Yet, it was shattered in a single blow, its core completely destroyed.

The monks' conditions were horrific. They lay on the ground, their bodies grotesquely fractured as if crushed by some unseen force. This was clearly not the work of human hands. It was a confrontation between truly divine beings!

Trembling with fear, their faces were all painted with extreme terror.

“...”

Zhaohui, who had been floating in the air using the Heavenly Public Dao, had a rigid expression as he looked up at the public official. The man who had used the Suction Technique to counter Zhaohui's attack, rather than neutralize it, had instead amplified its destructive power. Even though he must have known that the shockwave could scatter in all directions, causing countless casualties, he did so anyway.

This alone was enough for Zhaohui to realize that the public official was not a monk and held the lives of humans in utter contempt.

—...Younger Brother?

The usually unflappable demon god was now extremely shocked, stammering.

There was only one person the demon god had ever referred to as his younger brother.

—...The Demon Buddha?

After Huigai, he was the most revered and powerful martial monk of Shaolin, but for some unknown reason, his status as a monk had been revoked. Could this public official be the first Shaolin monk to break his vows, the Demon Buddha?

—The aura contained in that move was undoubtedly the Golden Demon Buddha Light of the younger brother! Such vast and boundless Golden Demon Buddha Light could not exist in this world unless he had returned from the dead!

The silent Guiyan added another opinion.

—Whether he is the Demon Buddha or not, I do not know... But to me, this being is Jintian. He was the most secretive, mysterious, and cautious among us six. Yet, paradoxically, he was also the one who led the largest force.

When Guiyan said "us six," he meant the Six Venerable Gods. If so, the true identity of this public official was the Venerable God Jintian.

However, Zhaohui could not understand.

—The largest force? Even with the Venerable God Tongtian?

Although the Tongtian Sect operated secretly underground, its scale was enormous. If this Venerable God Jintian led an even larger organization, it would be impossible for him to have left no trace in the martial world.

But a force that used such dazzling golden martial arts was unprecedented in the history of the martial world...

At that moment, Zhaohui's eyes turned extremely perplexed.

—Wait, no, could it be?

Was there no golden martial art?

Weren't all the great skills of Shaolin supposed to emit a golden light?

—No, it can't be...

Unfortunately, Zhaohui's suspicion was correct.

—Why not? Jintian is the true master who has secretly controlled the Zen School of Central Plains.

What madness!

Although the Shaolin Zen School might have started with the sinister intentions of Bodhidharma, it was still believed that the later generations were true seekers of the Buddhist path, practicing the teachings of the Dharma for the benefit of all beings.

But could it be that the great thousand-year-old Shaolin, a pillar of the orthodox sect, was merely a subordinate organization managed by followers of the divine seat?

—The Jintian Sect has long managed the Zen School. Perhaps because of this, the divine seat has allowed Jintian alone to establish his own sect.

Zhaohui was greatly shocked.

—Then the one I met earlier, who was called the Jintian Sect, is...?

—He is one of Jintian's subordinates.

Jintian Sect!

Although he was defeated by Zhaohui's ability to see through his essence, he was still a formidable being from beyond the heavens. Yet, even such a powerful being was just one of Jintian's subordinates!

—Then, everything about the younger brother...

The demon god was trembling.

If the Demon Buddha and the Venerable God Jintian were the same person, then the Demon Buddha, with whom he shared a bond, was merely a fabricated personality of the Venerable God Jintian.

If the person he had shared his heart with for a lifetime was just a mask, anyone would shudder with a sense of betrayal.

—Your body! Give me your body!

Zhaohui could feel the demon god's boiling spiritual energy, which revealed his intense anger.

—If it is certain that I was played by his mask, I will tear him apart with my own hands!

“I don’t want to.”

In fact, Zhaohui was not just reluctant to have the demon god possess his body; he also judged that the demon god's abilities were not enough to deal with Jintian. Although his Three Heavenly Demon Swords were a great sword technique, Jintian's power, which approached the divine, was beyond human capabilities.

Zhaohui's figure floated in the air as he approached Jintian.

“Public... No, Mr. Jintian.”

Jintian's face was even more disturbed when he faced Zhaohui's Heavenly Public Dao.

“Amitabha... Haha...”

Zhaohui asked in a tone of disbelief.

“Wow... After crushing the secret monks who have protected the thousand-year-old Shaolin into bloody pulp, you still want to keep up the monk act?”

Jintian smiled.

“Even a fabricated personality is still a personality. A mask that has deceived even me for so long is not easily removed.”

“Huh! Straight to the point. Isn’t that a bit too honest? You’re admitting it too easily?”

“A secret only has value when it remains hidden. Let’s see.”

As the golden light flickered in Jintian's eyes, Zhaohui felt as if his essence was being instantly penetrated.

Of course, it was not just a feeling.

“The existence of the Spirit Jade you possess is well known to me. Indeed, it is the key to unlocking your true essence. Oh ho?”

If Jintian had heard the report from the Jintian Sect, who had directly invaded Zhaohui's spiritual realm, it was not surprising that he knew about the Blood Jade.

The problem was what came next.

“Oh, this is really unexpected. Haha, one of us six is part of that place. And who is this other person?”

Jintian then drew a warm smile.

“The venerable Dugu, whom I have always admired, is also there.”

At that moment, the demon god's spiritual energy surged, enveloping the spiritual realm in a storm.

—You damn brat! I will—

Zhaohui easily quelled the demon god's desperate attempt to take over his body with a powerful spiritual energy.

Then, the demon god's angry roar enveloped the spiritual realm again.

—Hand it over now! I will destroy him with my own hands! Gaaaaah!

Hearing the demon god's spiritual words through the Divine Eye, Jintian's smile deepened.

“Haha... Your explosive temper remains even after losing your physical body, Brother Dugu.”

The demon god's anger soon turned to despair.

To care for his younger brother, to waste his entire life on such a despicable mask!

He had given up the Zhengma Battle for him.

He had left the demon sect and hidden in the moonlight, becoming the Moonlit Forest Lord for him.

He had wandered his entire life to find him, finally obtaining the Buddha statue he left behind.

But his trail ended at Shaolin, and there was no trace of him anywhere.

In the Shaolin Buddha Cave, he had waited for his younger brother, that illusory and hollow figure, for his entire life.

That bitter wish, which tormented him until the end of his life, was it all just suffering to bring about today's result?

He could not forgive, no, he could not tolerate it.

—Huiya! Please, give me your body! I... I...

It was the sobbing of the demon god (魔神).

The despair of a man who had his entire life negated.

Zhaohui, who could not help but feel the demon god's desperate heart through their connected spirits, could not be at ease.

The brief memory the demon god recalled was certainly not his entire life.

But Zhaohui could immediately perceive how significant the Demon Buddha was in his life.

“Really, what a piece of trash.”

You can play with people, but this is almost a level of mockery, isn't it?

“Amitabha, I did not intentionally create Brother Dugu's obsession. It was just something I did not predict, as with human life.”

He had merely created the fabricated mask of the Demon Buddha out of necessity and discarded it when it was no longer useful.

Just as he was now discarding the mask of "Public Official" and throwing it away.

He was originally only Jintian, one of the six disciples who followed the divine seat.

A deep killing intent clouded Zhaohui's eyes.

“Just one question.”

“Amitabha... Speak.”

“Stop pretending to be a monk, you brat.”

“Even if it’s a mask, a personality is not something that can be easily withdrawn.”

“Sigh, for a disciple of the divine, to be boasting about method acting. The world of Central Plains is truly in decline.”

Despite Zhaohui's continuous mockery, Jintian maintained a calm expression.

“You must have poured a lot of effort and sincerity into the mask of Public Official, right? No matter how you think about it, the status of Public Official in the martial world is not something that can be easily discarded.”

“I will not deny it.”

Jintian, surprisingly, nodded readily and admitted it easily.

“Right? That’s why it’s strange. Why would you discard a mask that is still incredibly useful, just to spread the Dharma Sutra to the world? Clearly, it would provoke a huge backlash from Shaolin. Moreover, the authenticity of the sutra will be a topic of debate in the martial world until the end of time. Not everyone in the martial world is wise, you know.”

The Dharma Sutra, containing the enlightenment of Bodhidharma, would undoubtedly be extremely difficult to understand.

The higher the level of enlightenment, the more limitations there are in conveying it through words.

Trying to record the fragments of enlightenment moment by moment would inevitably make every sentence abstract and esoteric.

Only a very few would be able to gain enlightenment and reach the truth from such an abstract arrangement of words.

If it were possible to reach a realm through a mere theoretical text, the martial world would be filled with supreme realms.

Just as it would be impossible for all citizens to become judges and prosecutors if a famous politician were to randomly distribute legal codes to the entire population, Zhaohui was well aware of this.

“That’s true.”

“What? You’re admitting that too?”

Why is he so quick to admit and so easy-going?

Compared to the other Five Venerable Gods he had encountered, Jintian had a gentle personality.

Whether this appearance was his true personality or a fabricated one was not particularly important in the current situation.

“Isn’t it too inefficient? You’re losing much more than you’re gaining, so why do it?”

Jintian’s kind face suddenly turned indifferent.

“It’s all because of you, isn’t it?”

“Because of me?”

Zhaohui’s expression showed confusion.

“Amitabha, now it’s my turn to ask.”

“What? Speak.”

Zhaohui’s heart grew cold at the sound of Jintian’s voice.

“From the future, or the past?”

“What, what are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Jintian stroked his chin and fell into deep thought.

“You possess the most outstanding and powerful treasure in the history of ancient and modern times. The ability to utilize the wisdom of all legendary heroes in the history of Central Plains is almost comparable to divine power.”

“...”

“There is one point, however, that I cannot explain.”

Suddenly, Jintian’s eyes flashed with intense light.

“Your methods for accumulating wealth, controlling groups, acquiring and utilizing talents, dealing with enemies, inciting and resolving conflicts... There is something in your overall behavior that has never been found in any of the mainstream powers that have dominated Central Plains. The ideology that runs through your actions is clearly not of this world. Am I wrong?”

Zhaohui immediately sensed that his opponent was a person of great strategy, even from just a few words.

But when someone hits too close to the truth, the human psyche often wants to deny it.

“Your speculations and sophistry are so excessive that it’s not even worth refuting.”

“Haha, speculations and sophistry...”

A faint smile appeared on Jintian’s face again.

Continuing, he pulled out a ledger from his robe and unfolded it. Zhaohui’s brows furrowed roughly when he saw the seal of the Zhaogao Trading Company on the cover.

“Who...”

Crunch.

The ledger, which recorded the prices and transactions of all goods, was the lifeblood of a trading company.

The fact that such a core document of a trading company was exposed to an outsider made Zhaohui’s head spin.

“These strange characters.”

Jintian pointed to the Arabic numerals in the Zhaogao Trading Company’s ledger.

“Is this character system truly of Central Plains?”

Teaching Arabic numerals to the Zhaogao Trading Company’s accountants had such unforeseen consequences!

“That, that is a new system of calculation I created myself because the Central Plains’ system was chaotic and inconvenient!”

“Hahaha! Hahahaha!”

Jintian began to laugh heartily at Zhaohui’s response.

After laughing for a long time, Jintian suddenly took off his yellow robe, unbuttoned his inner garment, and revealed his upper body.

Turning around gracefully, Jintian showed his back to Zhaohui.

The moment he saw Jintian’s back, Zhaohui’s expression turned extremely rigid.

“We six are both disciples and his experimental subjects. On this body of Jintian, there is a clear mark proving that he is the fourth experimental subject.”

A clear inscription, as if branded with a red-hot iron, was etched near his shoulder.

Jintian, who was now closing his yellow robe, revealed a faint but clear smirk.

“O great and humble servant, the master who has cast off the shackles of humanity and become a seat in the vast universe. I have been disrespectful to the master, the venerable Bodhidharma, and the divine seat.”

Jintian’s actions were a mockery, suggesting that if Zhaohui had indeed invented this script, he must be Bodhidharma and the divine seat.

“...”

With all his secrets exposed, Zhaohui could only bite his lips until they bled.

However, it was not all negative.

The speculation that Bodhidharma and the divine seat were the same person was now confirmed as a fact.

Even the handwriting on Jintian’s shoulder was identical to that of the divine seat, who left the stone tablets of the Sword General and the Three Heavenly Demon Swords.

It was clear that Bodhidharma was another modern person who had fallen into this Central Plains martial world.

That was all Zhaohui knew about the divine seat’s true identity.

How could a modern person become Bodhidharma on their own?

Or perhaps Bodhidharma was a modern person who briefly visited this life for amusement?

Wait, then what about the message “Come to the divine seat” that seemed to be left for him?

Questions piled upon questions, making his mind dizzy, when Jintian’s voice pierced his ears again.

“Haha, just a joke... Don’t frown so much. However, manipulating time is a power exclusive to the seats. Since you exist as a human body, you can’t be a seat, so you didn’t travel through spacetime. Then, what remains is...”

“Reincarnation.”

“Ho...? So that’s it, then?”

Although Zhaohui admitted it straightforwardly, Jintian’s thoughts became even more complicated.

“But that doesn’t make sense either. Of course, as a human, you have the right to reincarnation. However, in the process of reincarnation, there is a law of ‘forgetfulness’ that erases memories. No human can be an exception to this cosmic law unless they reach the level of a seat.”

Zhaohui smirked and mocked.

“So what are you trying to say?”

Finally, Jintian revealed his true intentions.

“Are you a seat? A human? Or an existence of a different level that doesn’t belong to any category?”

You’re talking nonsense.

What makes you think I’m an extraordinary existence?

There’s no point in refuting, and I have no intention of getting caught