Chapter 229 Journey Westward
The Leader of the Shushan faction, Bai Jingxue, laughed derisively after listening to Xu Pingjing. “You people from Zhongnan Mountain chose Zhu Wen in the hopes of supporting his bid for hegemony. Now, however, Li Ye has taken sole credit for quelling the rebellion, and it’s already a given that the emperor will reward him handsomely after returning to Chang’an. His power will be amplified.”
“I heard that the emperor has already appointed Zhu Wen as Xuanwu commissioner of Bianzhou. Bianzhou is situated at the heart of the Central Plains and connected to Ji River along with Pinglu. Li Ye will be able to launch an expedition to Bianzhou after returning to Pinglu if there’s any unexpected movement from Zhu Wen. How will Zhu Wen be able to defend that? Also, this is the matter of Zhongnan Mountain’s concern. What does it have to do with us?”
Wu Jinling, the leader of Xuelu, and Wang Sanxian, the leader of Dongting Lake, smiled but remained silent after hearing Bai Jingxue. Evidently, his words were not that far off from their own internal thoughts.
Xu Pingjing replied in a chilling tone, “The world is in chaos now, and all Taoist sects are part of this world. Do you mean to say that only Zhongnan Mountain wishes for the Tang Dynasty to collapse, and that heroes will rise up to rule?”
He grunted coldly before continuing, “Everything that Li Ye achieved in Pinglu, whether it was reorganizing Jianghu, or handling military and administrative duties, proved that his ability to turn the tide is greater than that of Li Xian. If he shifts his power base to Chang’an in future, I’m afraid that all vassal states will be destroyed by him. It’ll be even worse if he returns to Pinglu. Now that he has attained Spiritual Pool Master State, it’s impossible to kill him. If he manages to turn the tables and save the Tang Dynasty from crumbling, what’s there in it for all of you?”
Bai Jingxue looked at Zhang Jiuling. “Hasn’t Penglai always been priding itself as a sect of Immortals of the seas, and hasn’t it always wanted to pull strings behind the scene? Why are you allowing Li Ye to become so powerful in Pinglu?”
Zhang Jiuling felt embarrassed at having his failings laid out in the open. He grunted coldly and replied, “Fellow Taoist Bai, you can’t follow common logic when talking about Li Ye. I can’t believe that you haven’t predicted his life’s fortunes as yet. Which one of you has been able to tell his fortunes from the stars? None of us could!”
Zhang Jiuling looked at Wu Jinling and Wang Sanxian as he continued, “The Buddhists have already chosen Li Keyong as their representative. I’m sure all of you have already witnessed the fighting prowess of the Shatuo soldiers and Li’s abilities. If us Taoist sects do not band together, we’ll be doomed. If we allow them to rule this world, our souls would be destroyed just by the fact that the Immortal Court would be enraged by this turn of events! We’ll be reviled as sinners who allowed our sects, which have been built up over several millennia, to be destroyed!”
Bai Jingxue stopped talking, while Xu Pingjing chimed in. “Li Ye is the thorn in our side, and the Taoist sects can only prosper like before after we’ve got rid of him. We’ll support various feudal lords of our choosing, and who eventually triumphs will be decided by our own abilities. We have to get rid of him for all of this to be possible, though.”
“If we want to do this, we have to use extreme methods. The Great Immortal-killing Formation will be more than enough to kill this kid!” Bai Jingxue said coldly.
...
In Chang’an.
Li Ye stood in front of his window with his hands clasped behind his back, and his brows were furrowed together.
Sometime later, Song Jiao walked in and went up to his side. “We’ve just received information that a large group of monks has appeared in Fengxiang, and they have high levels of cultivation,” she said in a trembling voice.
Li Ye turned to look at her. “Is Li Changyan joining forces with the Buddhists?”
Song Jiao’s expression turned stern. “Indeed, the monks have gone to visit Li Changyan.”
Li Ye became silent and turned his gaze back to the view outside his window. He did not speak for a long while.
“Where’s Shangguan Qingcheng now?” he asked suddenly after a long moment of silence.
“According to schedule, she’ll be able to catch up with His Majesty’s retinue tomorrow,” Song Jiao replied.
Li Ye became silent again, this time for even longer.
He asked a chain of questions the moment he broke his silence. “Are there still other pieces of information? Is there news of Li Keyong? And how about the Taoist sects?”
Song Jiao sieved through the various pieces of information in her head mentally to ensure that she had not left out any important detail that she had to pay attention to. “The Yanmen Army is in the main camp, as if Li Keyong. There aren’t many new monks who have joined. As for the Taoist sects, we have limited information on them. Xuelu of the North, Dongting of the South and Shushuan of the West are too far away from us, and the Black Office has a limited number of scouts in those places. It’ll be hard to detect any movement from them, as long as they keep it low key. Even the scouts will find it hard to be aware of the emergence of any cultivator with high-level Qi-refining skills.”
Li Ye clenched his fists, which were behind his back, before opening them a few times. His brows were furrowed as he deliberated, before smoothing out again. “No matter what, we have to ensure that His Majesty reaches Chang’an. If we let him fall into Li Changyan’s hands, the imperial court will not only reward me much less handsomely, it’ll even use this as an excuse to deal with me. After all, I’m a member of the Imperial Clan. The Pinglu Army has gone on an expedition for far too long, and we’re entering Winter season as we speak. Ordinary soldiers and officers will be unable to withstand the rigors of a major battle. I’m going to Fengxiang. Send experts of the Black Office after me as a backup.”
Song Jiao’s lips moved and she wanted to speak up but stopped herself. “Do you want Su E’mei and the others to come over as well?” she finally asked.
Li Ye had already stepped out of the room. “It’s too late for that,” he replied.
It would not take long for Li Ye, at his current level of cultivation, to arrive at Fengxiang from Chang’an, but it was different for the others.
Song Jiao left the yard after Li Ye, using the corridor to reach the Black Office to make arrangements.
She suddenly stopped after passing a rock garden. Someone was speaking to her.
“Is he going to Fengxiang?” A man stood with his hands clasped behind his back beside the lake in front of the rock garden. Light was reflected clearly off the surface of the lake, and the night breeze gently blew across his head of white hair.
Song Jiao was not surprised by the sudden appearance of the man. “You should have appeared a long time ago.”
“How much earlier? When His Majesty was forced to flee westward, or when the Pinglu Army swarmed into Chang’an?” Li Xian asked casually.
Song Jiao remained silent. Li Xian could not have prevented Li Yan from fleeing westward, nor could he have played a decisive part in big scale battles. He was just a man, after all, and even though he was a Spiritual Pool Master, he could not have influenced the flow of events.
“Did you see how he killed Huang Chao?” Song Jiao asked suddenly.
Li Xian’s voice sounded far away yet near. It sounded real and yet illusory at the same time. It was similar to moonlight; it was obviously right in front of you, yet hard to grasp. “Of course, I would not have allowed him to die by Huang Chao’s hand.”
“What about now?” Song Jiao asked through gritted teeth.
There was no emotion in Li Xian’s voice. Perhaps, he was already incapable of having feelings. There was also a possibility that his strength in Tao made him treat everyone in this world equally, just like the Heavens treated all beings as straw dogs.
“This time? Do you know how many experts have joined the ranks of the Buddhists? Dozens of them are at Kong Kim Realm, and they also have the 800 Monks, and if everything goes according to plan, even the Great Six Paths of Reincarnation Formation will be used. How many of them at Kong Kim Realm will I be able to take on? Do you know how many experts the Taoist sects have activated? All of their Spiritual Master Realm experts are practically swarming out of their sects, and the Five Great Taoist Sects have gathered at Guanzhong. Even the Great Immortal-killing Formation has been sent down!”
Song Jiao immediately turned pale, and her red lips quivered uncontrollably. “We’re definitely doomed?”
“No doubt about that,” replied Li Xian. “No one has been able to survive after being hit with the Great Immortal-killing Formation. No one from the numerous nations in the East and West has been able to withstand the Great Six Paths of Reincarnation Formation as well.”
Song Jiao’s svelte figure began trembling. “Why is this happening?”
“The current situation, life. How minute are we compared to them?” Li Xian answered, his gaze calm, as if he were discussing the moonlight tonight.
“Why are you still here then?” Song Jiao said coldly, suddenly lifting her head to gaze at Li Xian after being silent for a long while.
Li Xian smiled suddenly before glancing at Song Jiao. There was a fleeting warmth in it, but it was real. “I came to see you one last time.”
“What do you mean?”
Li Xian looked at the bright moon, his posture ramrod straight. His otherworldly aura was gone, replaced by a rampant heroic aura. It made him look lofty and dignified.
“I, Li Xian, have dedicated my entire life to my country. I’ll never turn a blind eye while the Tang Empire crumbles before me,” he said.
Song Jiao turned as white as a sheet. “You told me that you’ll die if you went!”
“A heroic death.”
Li Xian strode away after speaking.
Every step he took was serious and powerful, just like when he was still Prince An and handled worldly affairs. He never stopped moving throughout his entire life, and he would not stop even if Fate dictated that he would end up maimed or disfigured.
...
In the main camp of the Yanmen Army, outside Chang’an City.
Huiming lifted the tent flaps and walked in. “Li Ye has left Chang’an and is headed west,” he told Li Keyong, who was reading on the general’s table.
Li Keyong placed his book down and struck the table before standing up. “Good! Have all your people arrived, Grand Master?” he asked excitedly.
Huiming placed his palms together and replied, “Li Ye will be able to leave Martial County, but he’ll never be able to enter Mei County.”
Li Keyong was extremely pleased, but he collected himself very quickly. He clapped his hands behind his back and took two steps back and forth. His gaze became extremely sharp and he stopped walking suddenly to ask Huiming, “After getting rid of Li Ye...”
“All of us Buddhists are monks and none of us are strategists, nor do we have an army. How you decide to face the fate of this world will be up to you, Commander,” Huiming said calmly.
Li Keyong smiled. The monk was right. If the Buddhists could accomplish any feat, not only would Li Keyong not be pleased, he would feel extremely wary of them instead. After all, he wanted to become the Supreme Leader of the world, not a puppet of the Buddhists. They were just a sharp sword to him, and since that was so, their only purpose was to kill his enemies on his behalf.
He sat down again behind his table. “Fengxiang would be finished after we get rid of Li Ye. I’ll hold the Emperor as a hostage to command the feudal princes. The world will then become mine!” he said slowly.
Huiming put his palms together devoutly and said, “Amitabha.”
Huiming left the tent and stopped outside it. He raised his head to look at the night sky.
The clear moonlight shone on him, giving him a pure and saintly look.
“If you ask me what’s a Time of Chaos, and what does a world in chaos mean? I’ll say we’re right in one,” he muttered.
...
Huiming placed his palms together devoutly and bowed toward the bright moon in the sky.
His gaze was devout and his expression was holy when he straightened up.
Huiming only revered two things in the world and flow of the universe.
First, he paid respects to the stars in the sky.
He turned to look at his shadow, nodding his head. His eyebrows were droopy, and his expression looked even more serious.
Huiming placed his palms together and bowed at his own shadow.
He was paying respects to the faith within himself.
His eyes were like flaming torches when he raised his head.
“Under the guidance of the Buddhists, everyone will do good. There will never again be chaos in this world.”
“Doing greater good by using evil methods. Restoring peace to the land.”
“Amitabha.”
His eyebrows drooped benevolently as he bowed.
When he raised his head, however, his eyes blazed with the righteous anger of a guardian deity.
...
There were all sorts of people in this world, and there were all sorts of schools of Tao.
Every one’s Tao and path was different.
It did not matter if they had the same identity or were thought of as essentially the same.
Li Ye’s Tao was in the ground he was traversing. He was at the border of Martial County.
Chang’an Prefecture neighbored Fengxiang Prefecture. It was situated against the flow of the river from Chang’an City, and followed the path of Wei River westward. Exiting Martial County, at the westernmost part of Chang’an Prefecture, would lead one at Mei County, the easternmost part of Fengxiang Prefecture. Li Yan entered Fengxiang from Sichuan, and he was at Chencang, the westernmost part of Fengxiang.
It also meant that Li Ye had to pass through the entire Fengxiang Prefecture to meet Li Yan.
If Li Ye took another step forward, he would be in Mei County, Fengxiang Prefecture. If he took a step back, he would return back to Martial County, Chang’an.
He stood at the official path. A sign was right beside his feet, and neat rows of poplar trees were beside each side of the pathway. Moonlight shone down upon the vast wilderness and on Li Ye’s shoulders, while the night breeze blew through his long hair.
“You’ll suffer greatly if you take another step forward. Go back, to where you belong.”
A monk in white robes stood about 100 steps in front of Li Ye. He clasped his palms together and chanted, “Amitabha.” He then spoke to Li Ye in a compassionate yet unquestionably serious tone.
The distance between them was inconsequential to a cultivator at Spiritual Master Realm. The monk had to have a backup, however, if he dared to stand at such a close distance away from Li Ye.
Li Ye observed the monk in amusement and unhurriedly. He knew that his journey westward would not go smoothly since he left Chang’an City. He was patient, and he had to be patient, no matter what sort of dangerous situation he was in.
Li Ye looked silently at the white monk.
historical
The monk in white robes looked at Li Ye peacefully, as if he was looking at someone he was about to rescue and guide. “There’s no end to suffering. Don’t you wish for it to end, Sir?” he continued.
Li Ye laughed softly and remained silent. He took a step forward, however.
There was a small hill a few miles away from the official path. It was full of monks.
The monk leading them carried a staff and his eyebrows were white. He observed Li Ye walking forward. Another monk beside him, who was so tall that he looked like an iron tower, asked, “Abbot, why do you want Senior Brother to ask Li Ye to turn back? Wouldn’t our job be done if we just killed him directly?”
The monk was Huineng. He fought during the fierce battle in Lingkou between Li Keyong and Shang Rang. He personally faced down Shang Rang’s Military Formation of Militarism.
The white-browed monk smiled and did not reply Huineng. “How many of us are there?” he asked instead.
Huineng was puzzled but replied truthfully, “The 18 Guardian Deities, 36 Arhats, 800 Warrior Monks, and the Great Six Paths of Reincarnation Formation are on the way.”
The white-browed monk nodded. “Since Li Ye will definitely be slayed, what’s the hurry for?”
“What do you mean, Abbot?” Huineng said, rubbing his head.
The white-browed monk replied slowly, “We can’t underestimate this man. His physical body is not encompassed in the Six Paths, his destiny is not within the Three Realms, and his life is not in the Circle of Reincarnation. If he’s willing to join us, it’ll be our luck; we’ll be able to closely observe him. Your senior has remained in Kong Kim Realm for many years, and he’s the only one in the entire Juexiao Temple that’s slightly weaker than me. It’s a great opportunity for him to test Li Ye’s strength. Furthermore, look. Li Ye has already stepped into your senior’s boundaries. The Realm your senior is in has the amazing effect of striking people with awe, causing them to listen to his lectures. Many demons have been subdued in this way and turned to us. That Li Ye...”
His eyes glinted before he could finish his sentence, however. This was because there was a sudden change of events on the official path.
The monk in white frowned as Li Ye advanced. His eyes burned, and his entire aura changed suddenly, becoming full of untouchable authority. “To persist on the path of suffering is to enter Hell. Are you telling me that you aren’t willing to turn to the path of Light and insist on entering Hell?”
In a flash, Li Ye appeared in front of the monk in white. His gaze was calm as he spoke, “Are you the sole authority on what constitutes suffering and redemption? Even if you were, they are only applicable to you. What does that have to do with me?”
He clenched his hand into a fist and struck at the monk before his voice died away.
The monk had not expected Li Ye to attack so suddenly. A look of irritation and surprise flashed across his eyes as he hurriedly retreated.
The Realm he added gave him the ability to captivate others, causing them to be awestruck by his speech and manner subconsciously and respect him from the bottom of their hearts. They would believe whatever he said, allowing him to change the way they thought.
The monk in white had the ability to guide or kill his opponents with a single phrase.
It allowed him to subdue countless opponents, even those with stronger levels of cultivation. As long as their minds wavered a little, and they gave him time to speak, they would fall for his trap.
He had once traveled north to the plains and used the same technique to ‘persuade’ a famous divine priest. The feat became a legend, and the monk had not expected that Li Ye was completely unaffected by him.
“I didn’t expect that this fellow’s willpower would be so strong. This is something that I don’t see often.”
The monk was secretly shocked, but anger quickly replaced surprise. He shouted and steadied himself before striking at Li Ye with a punch. “Demon, since you don’t wish to be turned, I’ll take you down then. I’ll suppress your soul and spirit...Vajra Punch!”
He was the most senior disciple of Juexiao Temple, the leader of all Buddhists in the North and the Tang Dynasty. He had challenged countless numbers of opponents since becoming a Buddhist, and the only time he failed was in the hands of the Temple’s abbot himself.
Li Ye laughed carefreely. “So if I’m turned by you, I’ll be deemed as ‘good’, while I’ll be defined as a ‘demon’ if I don’t. If this how you Buddhists differentiate between Good and Evil? What’s the difference between that and someone who tries to kill people who simply oppose them?”
“You’re courting your own death!” The monk in white roared, his gaze filled with killing intent. Evidently, he was prepared to kill. A huge gold Buddha statue appeared behind him. It raised its head slowly, and covered half of the skies.
The statue’s gaze was serious and looked upon all beings beneath it with authoritatively. Anyone who looked at it would have the urge to prostrate oneself and worship it. The moment the monk punched, the golden statue pressed its palm down at Li Ye, seeming as though it was trying to crush an ant.
At this moment, wisps of purple smoke rose in front of the statue, turning into clouds in an instant. They looked as beautiful as the morning sky, and a huge purple fist suddenly shot out from the thick layers of moving clouds that covered half the sky with great momentum.
The monk could immediately sense the great danger posed by the huge incoming fist. He felt as though someone had grabbed hold of his heart, and he was barely able to stop himself from screaming in fear. He was in the foreign territory now, and he was stunned and embarrassed at the same time. He let out a shrill cry, and he met the Purple Cloud-gathering Punch with his Vajra Punch.
Li Ye’s lips moved slightly and arched into a derisive smile, as he met the monk’s fist with his one. They were suspended in mid-air, and the huge purple fist smashed into the Golden Buddha’s palm, stirring up waves of Spiritual Qi that covered an area hundreds of feet wide. The sounds of the Qi igniting engulfed everything else.
The monk immediately felt a sharp pain radiate from his fingers the instant he made contact with Li Ye’s fist, as if he had smashed his own fist into a mountain. It shot up to his entire arm and toward the Ocean of Qi in his heart. His entire body trembled, and he completely lost control of himself, spewing blood as he flew backward. His arm drooped by the side of his body like a wet noodle, his bones having been completely shattered.
The others on the small hill, including the abbot of Juexiao Temple and Huineng, were all shocked to witness this.
They had heard of Li Ye’s exceptional prowess in battle, and that he possessed the ability to fight opponents who were a few levels stronger than he was, but they never expected that the first disciple of Juexiao Temple would be felled with a single punch of his. The monk himself had challenged other opponents a few levels stronger than him before, so why did he fail so quickly when matched with Li Ye?
The monks were shocked and puzzled. Only the abbot could sense a whiff of Great Dao in Li Ye’s punch.
He suddenly remembered that he had once read about a cultivation method known as “Purple Clouds from the East” in an ancient text. Legend had it that Laozi himself recorded it down after exiting Hangu Pass, and that if encompassed his comprehension of Great Tao! If the 5000 chapters of the “Tao Te Ching” were Laozi’s written description of Tao, then the technique known as “Purple Clouds from the East” was his way of creating a practical way of his own understanding of Tao. Both of them served the same purpose.
This kind of technique was incredibly powerful by itself, and it was not unusual that it allowed the user to challenge someone a few levels more powerful than himself or herself. However, the thing that puzzled the abbot of Juexiao Temple was that this technique could only be found in ancient texts, and no one in this domain had ever learned it before. Even disciples from Taoist sects were unable to find it.
“How did Li Ye manage to learn this technique?”
Li Ye did not allow the abbot much time to ponder. He did not stop after knocking the monk in white down and came charging toward the others. A practitioner at Spiritual Master Realm could cover the distance of a few miles in an instant.
The abbot did not bother to conceal his aura. Originally, he wanted to support his most senior pupil, but now, he unleashed all of his power before Li Ye.
However, he was not afraid of Li Ye. He had three experts at Spiritual Master Realm behind him, and combined with himself, it was not hard to handle Li Ye in unison. Furthermore, the 18 Guardian Deities and 36 Arhats were arriving shortly.
The abbot suddenly rose up into the air, golden rays of light emanating from his body by now, causing him to look as though he was the Buddha. He looked divine and stern, and much more powerful than his most senior disciple. “Li Ye! My disciple has tried to persuade you to turn to path of Good. Not only have you rejected our kind offer, but you even injured one of us after disagreeing with him. Isn’t such wild behavior a proof that you’ve become a demon?”
“Fight if you want to. What’s the point of spouting off all this nonsense?” Li Ye remarked, twisting his lips.
The abbot of Juexiao Temple was enraged. “You’re indeed already on the path of Darkness! A human lord who does so will definitely become a tyrant. To prevent you from harming the people, I’ll get rid of you today!”
He raised his sceptre after speaking. Gold rays shone appeared in the air instantly, forming a huge stream of light.