Chapter 428: The Buddha Resides in the Heart

Had it not been for Wei Yuan’s batch of pills, Hsu Henshui’s lecture performance would have been nothing short of perfect.

However, Wei Yuan gave Hsu Henshui an edited projection afterward. In that projection, the final segment had been cut off, ending at the moment Hsu Henshui held up the pill with a single golden pattern for everyone to see.

The beautiful man nearly burst into tears because of this.

That night, Yin Yang waited all night but never saw Hsu Henshui. Rumor had it that the light in Hsu Henshui’s room burned brightly all night long, and the genius pill master had spent the entire night grinning foolishly at a piece of stone.

Naturally, these rumors did not come from the Mother Nature Monastery disciples watching over the courtyard. They couldn’t possibly see into the house after all. The true source of the rumors was Trueman Chu He, and the old Daoist had heard it from a ferret.

Having achieved a modest level of mastery in the Dao of pill-making, Wei Yuan quietly left Qingming and headed for the Realm of Zhenshan to seek out Lee Zhi.

The Realm of Zhenshan had already grown to a considerable size by this point, housing 40,000 elite troops and 60,000 civilian volunteers. Construction of a city had begun at the realm’s center, and Wei yuan met with Lee Zhi at the temporary realm lord residence.

“... That’s how it happened. My one-year deadline is almost up, but I simply can’t think of a way to persuade the Bao Clan. That is why I’ve come to you to see if you can help me devise a plan.” Wei Yuan looked worried.

Upon hearing this, Lee Zhi also grew very serious and asked, “When you set out on your western campaign into the Shaman realm, did Senior Bao Manshan say that he was very satisfied before he left? And did he say anything else?”

Wei Yuan shook his head. “No, he said nothing of the sort.”

Lee Zhi’s expression grew grave as he said, “In that case, your concerns are justified. This is probably another test Elder Bao Manshan has set for you—to see if you’re perceptive enough. This is a key to navigating future internal struggles within the clan.

“Among the Bao Clan’s Twelve Great Elders, when a decision is made, only the Grand Elder counts as two people, while everyone else counts as one. If my guess is correct, that single remark meant he would stand by your side. At most, his faction would support you. However, this is clearly not enough.”

“Then what should I do?”

Lee Zhi pondered for a moment and said, “Don’t rush. Let’s first see what trump cards we have up our sleeves. Hmm, start by telling me what you’re best at and where your greatest strengths lie right now.”

Wei Yuan pondered for a moment before answering, “Well, I excel at expanding territories, waging war on the battlefield, governing a realm, ensuring the people’s wellbeing, and overthrowing k—ahem!”

Wei Yuan had spoken too quickly, but fortunately he reacted in time to take back his slip of the tongue. Then, he continued:

“Those were just the broad descriptions of my abilities: if we’re talking strictly about my track record, I’d put it this way: I’ve never lost a war or a fight. When fighting enemies of the same cultivation level as me, it doesn’t matter how many there are. Defeating enemies one stage above me is the standard, and defeating enemies two stages above me is the expectation. If it’s a life-or-death struggle where I pull out all the stops, then I probably wouldn’t lose even against someone who is three stages above me.

“And that’s about it. I really don’t have any other strengths,” Wei Yuan said this with a look of deep concern on his face.

Lee Zhi desperately wanted to swing his sword and see if he could slice through the guy’s thick face. At the same time, he deeply doubted his own judgment of character and wondered how on earth he had ended up befriending Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan was also worried. None of his skills seemed to be useful to the Bao Clan, and his recent mastery in the Dao of pill-making was worth even less.

The Realm of Qingming was simply too far from the Bao Clan—they were practically at opposite ends of the human realm. Wei Yuan couldn’t exactly lead a large army to the Bao Clan to prove his military prowess. Besides, fighting was pretty straightforward and didn’t seem like much to brag about. It was nothing more than leading his troops to charge forward and then back again. Repeat this a couple times, and victory was automatically assured.

As for claiming that his Avatar was invincible, Wei Yuan had come to understand the power of such a statement after his encounter with Shangguan Qianmo. Naturally, he did not think it would be a good idea to repeat it to the Bao Clan. Besides, he could neither use Yin Yang nor summon Dragonhawk in a duel against the Bao Clan’s high Avatars. Wei Yuan wasn’t sure he would absolutely win every duel.

Besides, the purpose of this trip was to persuade the great elders, not to show off his strength. Humiliating the Bao Clan would only make matters worse.

This time, Lee Zhi pondered for a long while before saying, “Here’s what we’ll do: I’ll make a trip to the Bao clan on your behalf first to see if I can secure some leverage for you. At the very least, I’ll sound out the elders’ opinions. But before I do that, I will first return to my sect to invite a highly respected senior of my sect, then return to Southern Qi to find a clan senior. Although it will take some time, having two esteemed seniors accompany me will give my words more weight.”

Wei Yuan was surprised—he hadn’t expected Lee Zhi to go to such lengths.

Lee Zhi said seriously, “This is by no means a trivial matter, my worthy little brother! If I had the chance to cultivate the Floating World Dragon Diagram, forget choosing five first, they could offer to give us three leftovers, and the King of Qi still wouldn’t think twice to accept it to send me off immediately. Thus, I can only rely on my sect’s and clan’s connections to see if I can secure one or two elders to support you.”

Wei Yuan hadn’t expected this matter to be so complicated. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

Lee Zhi chuckled. “Consider this my diplomatic mission on your behalf. In the meantime, please guard Zhenshan for me—don’t let the Mountain Dwellers raid my lair while I’m gone.”

“No problem!” Wei Yuan agreed immediately. This was his specialty, and from their last encounter, he had found the Mountain Dwellers to be quite easy to deal with. Fighting them had required no thought at all.

“Good. I’ll transfer a portion of my authority as the realm lord to you shortly. There’s no time to waste, so I’ll set out tonight.”

After going over a few precautions, Lee Zhi added, “Also, the Lee Clan alone won’t carry enough weight. It’d be best if you could get Xiao Yu to get an elder from the Xiao Clan to step in. Cui Yu... actually, never mind. His standing within his clan is limited; I doubt he’d be able to secure a clan elder with sufficient influence.”

“Can I invite a senior from my sect?” At the very least, Founder Xuan Yue would not hesitate to step forward for him.

But Lee Zhi shook his head. “Sister Bao is already a disciple of the Palace of Absolute Beginning, so their presence won’t add any weight. What you need to prove is that you possess a wealth of connections and resources outside the Palace of Absolute Beginning.”

Wei Yuan felt a deep headache coming on. He definitely hadn’t expected this to be such a hassle.

Just then, a soft, melodious voice suddenly rang out: “What’s so difficult about this? As long as you join our Pure Land, benefactor, this monk can guarantee that the Bao Clan will never cause Miss Bao any trouble in the future, and she will be free to do whatever she wishes. Of course, if Miss Bao were to enter the Pure Land as well, that would be the best of both worlds.”

Wei Yuan sprang to his feet immediately. Dragonhawk was already poised and ready.

A monk in cyan robes stepped into the study, yet the guards at the door remained completely oblivious. The monk’s eyes were a strange amber color, and he bore a feathered mark between his brows. It was none other than Mahayamuri Buddha Mother.

Lee Zhi was both shocked and enraged. He leaped to his feet, his hand already gripping the hilt of his sword. Although the monk was clearly an Avatar, he was a Chosen One armed with the supreme arts of the Four Sages Academies. Several of his Avatar-stage followers were also nearby, so he naturally felt no fear.

And even without his followers, he could hold his own against an ordinary Avatar.

Wei Yuan had already reached the spirit-cultivating stage of the Avatar stage, so he could tell that the monk was actually in the myriad manifestation stage. He just didn’t know how long it would take him to form his Imaginary World.

Wei Yuan pressed his hand against Lee Zhi’s shoulder, signaling him to stay calm. This monk was a one-in-ten-thousand genius and beyond the ability of an average Dao Foundation to resist. He was at least the sort who could sweep aside all rivals at his cultivation level.

Wei Yuan wanted to test the monk’s intention first, so he asked, “You wish for me to join your Pure Land, Buddhist master? And what benefits would that bring?”

The monk replied, “Benefactor, you share karma and opportunity with our Pure Land, and a big one at that. That itself is the greatest benefit. If you enter our Pure Land, you may inherit the Dharma of the King Buddha of Great Pleasure. When the time comes, the young lady may also join our Pure Land. Though the weight of her destiny is slightly less than yours, she may still inherit the Dharma of Immovable Tathāgata and become a part of the King Buddha of Great Pleasure’s Dharma. It all depends on you.”

Wei Yuan was surprised. “Become a part of the King Buddha of Great Pleasure’s Dharma? Will she still be herself then?”

“But of course.”

Wei Yuan fell silent, then asked, “What does the King Buddha of Great Pleasure’s Dharma look like? Can I have a look?”

“The Dharma already resides in the eyes and hearts of countless people—why not?”

A beam of light shot from between Mahayamuri Buddha Mother’s eyebrows, and a Buddha statue appeared before them.

Lee Zhi saw a Buddha sitting with his back against a mountain peak, his countenance majestic. Behind him lay mountains and plains. He wielded a treasure sword in his hand, and countless women prostrated before his throne, their faces all vaguely familiar to Lee Zhi.

What Wei Yuan, however, was a Buddha with five faces and eight arms. The five faces displayed the five different expressions—joy, anger, worry, thought, and fear, while six of the eight arms held various mystic artifacts—namely, a scepter, a bowl, a vase, a whip, and a sword. That much was to be expected. The sixth weapon, however, was shaped like Brutality and already fitted with a magazine. It stood out starkly among the other mystic artifacts.

The statue’s remaining two arms embraced a naked woman. The woman was wrapped around the statue and exuding the utmost beauty.

There was a problem. All five faces of the statue were Wei Yuan, while the woman was Bao Yun!

At that moment, the monk said, “The Buddha resides in the heart. What you two are seeing right now is the Buddha in your own heart, benefactors.”

Lee Zhi’s expression grew stern as he began to ponder, his face gradually turning grave.

Wei Yuan was also pondering, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.

Just then, the shadow in the moon seemed to shift slightly, and a flash of epiphany struck Wei Yuan. He immediately let out a cold laugh, saying, “If the Buddha truly resides in my heart, then it would never look like this! You think you can fool me with such a trivial trick, monk? Try harder!”

Mahayamuri Buddha Mother furrowed his beautiful brow slightly, unsure where he had gone wrong.

Of course, Wei Yuan wasn’t going to tell him that if he truly had a King Buddha of Great Pleasure in his heart, the number of women hanging between his arms would likely be more than one....