Chapter 1095 - The Lotus Platform Is Still Here, but Is He as He Was?
The Little Western Paradise
The Wilds’ number-one Buddhist Holy Land
An elderly monk sat cross-legged beneath a ninety-foot Bodhi Tree.
The tree trunk was thick and powerful, and its bark was like a dragon’s scales. The leaves filling its branches were vibrant and green, with a flowing, holy aura.
The old monk was stick-thin, and his wrinkles were like deep ravines. He sat there in complete stillness, not moving a muscle.
There was a lotus platform placed before him. It was absolutely wondrous, with a glazed luster. However, there was a startling sword scar on its surface.
Suddenly, a solemn voice resounded throughout the landscape. “Master, Pi Mo suffered a huge loss, and the Studio of the Heart lost several of its experts. Everyone beneath the heavens is paying attention to the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force’s reincarnation. They’re watching to see when he kills his way into the Abstruse Force Alliance and cuts Pi Mo down.”
A middle-aged man in white monk’s robes ambled over from afar.
When he was a hundred feet away from the Bodhi Tree, he stopped and clasped his palms together, looking as dignified as a Buddhist statue.
The stick-thin monk beneath the Bodhi Tree had a tranquil, benevolent look on his face. He didn’t move a muscle, save for his lips.
“The lotus platform is still here, but a scar has split it. Is the current Su Xuanjun still the man he was back then?”
His voice was raspy and dry, as if it had been a long time since he'd last spoken.
The middle-aged monk thought for a moment, then said, “In this world, no two bodhi leaves are identical. The way I see it, after undergoing reincarnation, he’s no longer the same person.”
The stick-thin monk’s eyelids opened slightly, and he gazed at the scar on the lotus platform. “The lotus platform is still there, and the sword scar remains, but has he… truly become someone else?”
He sighed, then shut his eyes once more. “Let’s wait a little while longer. Once his youngest apprentice can no longer hold back, we’ll know just who this Su Xuanjun really is.”
It was as if he were talking in allegories and riddles. Anyone else would have been baffled.
But the white-robed middle-aged monk seemed to understand. “It’s just as you say, Master. All is not yet clear. For now… let’s wait a while longer.”
With that, he inclined his head at the stick-thin monk, then turned and left.
It was only after he’d disappeared from view that the thin old monk broke into hacking coughs. That deeply wrinkled face looked strangely conflicted, as if he were wracked with agony, struggling, and smiling hideously, yet simultaneously concerned about all of humanity…
Whoosh~
The leaves of the bodhi tree rustled, producing a rain of green light. When it landed on the thin monk, it nourished his dry, stick-thin frame.
He suddenly looked up at the scar on the lotus platform once more, his breathing ragged and his voice hoarse. “The lotus platform remains. He… is surely the same person he once was!”
Splurt!
The stick-thin monk coughed up blood and trembled from head to toe.
A little while later, he quivered, and that strange, conflicted look disappeared from his face. He soon regained his former tranquility and harmony.
He waved his sleeves.
Bang!
The sword-marred lotus platform suddenly dissipated into powder and disappeared.
The monk then looked up at the canopy of leaves and whispered, “But in this world, no two leaves are ever the same.”
……
Several days later.
Qin Feng and his companions appeared out of nowhere before the Allmist Spirit Mountains.
This emissary of the Solar Palace was dressed in jade-colored robes. He looked young, and he emanated a proud, confident air.
He was accompanied by two elders of the Church of the River of Stars’ Lightning Division. Both were in the late-stage Profound Serenity Realm.
The Church of the River of Stars had three palaces and four divisions.
The three palaces were the Solar Palace, the Lunar Palace, and the Celestial Palace.
The four divisions were wind, lightning, cloud, and fire.
In the Church of the River of Stars, only the Holy Sons chosen by their leader were qualified to enter the three palaces and become the sect’s emissaries.
And when Holy Sons reached the Profound Unity Realm, they could become its Libationers!
Qin Feng was one such Holy Son. Although his cultivation was still only in the mid-stage Profound Serenity Realm, his combat strength far surpassed most of the sect’s old-timers!
And his position was far beyond the two Lightning Division elders accompanying him.
“Emissary, they say that the Studio of the Heart has already lost several of its disciples. From this, it’s clear that this Su person is far stronger than we imagined,” said one of the elders. His name was Gu Che, and he was tall, stalwart, and dressed in robes embroidered with dragons. He wore a lotus crown, and its center was emblazoned with a lightning totem.
This was the symbol of the Lightning Division of the Church of the River of Stars.
“We still don’t know the details of what happened in the grand battle in the depths of the Ten Directions Yao Mountains, but I can say with certainty that the reincarnation of the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force isn’t at all afraid of the Studio of the Heart’s Laws of Spirit Nirvana. Naturally, he has no need to fear our Laws of Cosmic Silence.”
The other Lightning Division elder said grimly, “Opponents like him are the hardest to get a handle on.”
His name was Meng Tianjun. He was dressed in white, and he had a ferocious bearing.
“If Su Xuanjun were an ordinary person, how could I need to intervene personally?” Qin Feng said slowly. “You needn’t warn me. I can already guess what Pi Mo is thinking. He hopes to borrow my hands to kill his enemy, and drag the Church of the River of Stars underwater. I don’t care. All I care about is that Su Xuanjun has the secrets of reincarnation!”
Here, his eyes flashed with sharp light. “That woman, Qing Tang, is overly conservative. She needs to be more aggressive. All she does is hide away in the Grotto of Abstruse Force, hoping to watch a wildfire from a safe distance, then take action.
“But if we carry on like this, we’ll surely miss far too many opportunities. After all, there’s only one Su Xuanjun. If we let the Nine Heavens Pavilion or Studio of the Heart beat us to the punch, it’ll be too late for regrets.”
“Besides, even if we cannot fully realize our goals on this expedition, we can at least get a clearer sense of Su Xuanjun’s abilities. That way, when the time comes to take him down, we’ll know what we’re up against, and we won’t just have to guess randomly.
“Now, I just hope that Su Xuanjun hasn’t left the Middle Province Wang Family. If he has, I’ll truly be disappointed.”
As he spoke, Qin Feng was already shooting forward. Gu Che and Meng Tianjun, both elders of the Lightning Division, followed shortly after.
“Emissary, are we just going straight there?” Meng Tianjun couldn’t help but ask.
Qin Feng smiled. “Relax. We’ll say we’re there to spar, discuss the Dao, and determine a victor. If Su Xuanjun wins, oh well. I’ll just lower my head, admit defeat, and that’ll be the end of it. I trust that with his wisdom and perception, he won’t do anything excessive. After all, the Church of the River of Stars stands behind us, and he’s already provoked the Studio of the Heart. Don’t tell me he’ll dare cast aside all pretenses of cordiality with us too?”
He paused, then added, “But if Su Xuanjun loses… I wouldn’t mind seizing the opportunity to capture him!”
Here, Qin Feng sighed, as if mocking himself. “We’re being so cautious and tentative. Is it shameful?”
Meng Tianjun and Gu Che looked at each other, then shook their heads.
“Throughout the Dark and Gold Star Realm, only those Imperial Apex old fossils and the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force are threatening enough for us to take seriously.”
“That’s right. When it comes to the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force, it’s wise to proceed with caution. After all, even Pi Mo and the forces of the Studio of the Heart have fallen flat on their face. Better safe than sorry.”
Qin Feng smiled and inclined his head. “To cultivators such as ourselves, there’s no greater taboo than second-guessing ourselves in the face of battle. The sect leader approved of me and chose me as our holy son because I’ve never feared any opponent!”
Meng Tianjun and Gu Che agreed completely.
Qin Feng really was a rare genius. He wasn’t just the Holy Son of the Church of the River of Stars. Throughout the stars, he was a first-rate, peerless genius. His strength made the vast majority of the starry skies’ older-generation cultivators sigh over their own inferiority!
Here in the Dark and Gold Star Realm, the Swordmaster of Abstruse Force’s reincarnation was strong enough that even Qin Feng had to take him seriously. That alone was worth taking pride in.
As they conversed, they arrived at the gates to the Allmist Spirit Mountains.
Qin Feng brushed off his clothes, then said heartily, “Emissary Qin Feng of the Church of the River of Stars’ Solar Palace has come for a visit. Might I ask if Su Yi is present?”
His clear voice reverberated throughout heaven and earth like the ringing of a bell, shaking the landscape.
And a powerful majesty emanated from Qin Feng. It seemed capable of devouring mountains and seas, and contemptuous, as if he were gazing down upon everything in all directions.
Uproar broke out throughout the Allmist Spirit Mountains.
Immediately afterward, countless figures shot into the air and gazed at Qin Feng and his allies from afar.
Wang Zhuofu, Wang Zhongyuan, and the other Wang Family higher-ups were all there, as well as Su Yi’s disciples.
In the face of all these gazes, Qin Feng seemed calm, composed, and contemptuous, as if they weren’t even there. He said leisurely, “The Wang Family can rest assured. I’ve only come for Su Yi.”
“Tell me why you’re here, and we’ll see whether or not you’re worthy of meeting with me.” Su Yi’s calm voice reverberated throughout heaven and earth.
Qin Feng furrowed his brow, but soon, his expression relaxed, and a smile appeared on his lips. This Su person isn’t willing to come out right away. As brazenly arrogant as that is, at least I didn’t come all this way in vain. It’s enough!
Then, Qin Feng said heartily, “Fellow Daoist Su, I’ve come to spar and discuss the Grand Dao. I have no other intentions. Regardless of who wins and loses, I wish to do battle!”
His voice resounded throughout heaven and earth.
Everyone was solemn. The majestic aura emanating from Qin Feng was enough to tell them that he was an extremely terrifying existence.
Suddenly, the skies rippled, and Su Yi’s tall, upright figure came into view.
“Want to spar? What happens if I win? And what happens if I lose?” Su Yi looked the distant Qin Feng up and down and asked casually.
“We’re just sparing. It’s a competition between our cultivation bases. It’s enough to determine a victor,” Qin Feng said just as casually.
“Oh,” said Su Yi. “Were it a deathmatch, I wouldn’t mind playing with you, but if we’re just determining a victor, I truly can’t be bothered.”
Qin Feng was stunned. He would never have guessed that Su Yi would be so domineering; this wasn’t at all in line with his predictions.
“Fellow Daoist Su, you realize that if we fight to the death, no matter who lives and who dies, you’ll have established an irrevocable enmity with the Church of the River of Stars? Are you really not at all concerned about the consequences of that?”
Qin Feng’s eyes blazed with divine light, and his aura grew even sharper and more forceful.
Su Yi paid this no heed. “If you fight, I’ll grant you death. If you don’t want to fight, get the hell out of here.”
This light, airy declaration was tyrannical beyond measure.
Qin Feng’s expression darkened, and his heart welled with murderous intent. This was an unprecedented provocation and affront to his dignity.
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