Two weeks later.
The holy Buddha has returned.
The monk was still the same monk, except that his left cheek was a little red and swollen. Actually, the swelling wasn't that big, only about the size of a goose egg.
"Amitabha Buddha, half a month ago this humble monk sensed a sword intent."
"You're misinterpreting it."
"Impossible! I truly felt that unparalleled sword intent, and it came right from this mountain."
Snap!
The other cheek of the Holy Buddha was also swollen.
"Think about it carefully, maybe you're misinterpreting it."
".................." The holy monk blinked, clasped his hands together, and said devoutly, "Amitabha, this humble monk must have misperceived."
"It's alright. Master is probably just tired and experiencing hallucinations. Let him rest here."
"Amitabha Buddha, excellent, excellent."
The Holy Buddha walked to the edge of the Spirit Pool, squatted there with his buttocks sticking out, looked at his reflection in the water, and gently touched the swollen cheeks on both sides.
"It's symmetrical on both sides, so it's alright."
Qin Shou sat under the peach tree, watching the monk who was very good at self-consolation, and suddenly asked, "I heard you fought with the Immortal Phoenix of Nanning. Who won?"
Song Ningsheng, who was standing nearby, was also quite curious, so he pricked up his ears to listen.
However, the monk squatting by the spirit pool, scooping up water and gazing at himself, seemed not to hear what Qin Shou was saying. He remained immersed in his own world, occasionally poking his left cheek and sometimes patting his right cheek, his long, sparse eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"Huh? The left side seems to be a tiny bit more bulging than the right."
"Master?"
"No, that's not right either. It seems like the right side is a bit bulging." The monk sighed. "What can we do? Asymmetry won't look good."
Squeak!
Qin Shou slowly got up from the bamboo chair.
The Holy Buddha immediately turned around, "That young lady... Benefactor Nanning, she's gone. She's headed to the Central Divine Continent. The battle between immortals and mortals has already begun; she's probably going to join in the fun."
Squeak!
Qin Shou sat back down in his chair, picked up a teacup, took a sip, spat out a mouthful of tea dregs, and asked idly, "What is the conflict between immortals and mortals?"
The holy Buddha replied, "Not long ago, the path to immortality manifested, and descendants of immortals descended to the mortal realm, claiming to be banished immortals."
"When the geniuses of the upper and lower realms clashed, neither side was willing to concede, thus initiating a 'Battle of Immortals and Mortals,' meaning the upper realm was for immortals and the lower realm for mortals, and the geniuses of both realms competed against each other."
The Holy Buddha's explanation was concise and clear, and Qin Shou understood it, but he was still a little curious.
Looking at the Holy Buddha, he said, "The laws of the Great Dao are perfected in the Upper Realm, with numerous immortal lineages that have passed down immortal techniques and divine arts. Those descendants of immortals must have received the cleansing of immortal energy from childhood, and the cultivation methods they practice must be extremely powerful, far beyond what these geniuses of the Lower Realm can compare to."
So, is there any need for these two geniuses to even compete?
"Amitabha Buddha, what Benefactor Qin said makes some sense, but it's not absolute."
The Holy Buddha replied with a smile, "Although my lower realm is barren of spiritual energy and its laws are not as perfect and prosperous as those of the upper realm, this world is far from being as weak as Benefactor Qin imagines. At least it was once glorious, and in those incredibly distant times, it was not uncommon for Golden Immortals to impart their teachings."
"Although we have experienced several periods of decline and have lost the glory of ancient history, some laws have not been completely eradicated. For example, the Empress was able to comprehend several supreme immortal techniques under the blank wall ten thousand years ago. And the Taixu Emperor Clan, the head of the ten great imperial clans in the Central Plains, not only has nine Mahayana True Immortals appeared, but it is also rumored that this clan has a complete Heavenly Immortal Scripture and more than ten Mahayana True Immortal Scriptures."
Going further back, besides the ten major imperial clans on the surface, this world also has many ancient hidden forces, such as the Immortal Mountain of Immortality, the Valley of Burial Immortals, and the Bottom of the Heavenly Sea.
However, Qin was right about one thing: no matter how glorious this world was in the past, it could never compare to the Dao lineage of the Immortal Realm above.
After all, legend has it that the Upper Realm is teeming with celestial immortals, countless golden immortals, and even immortal kings who impart their teachings...
But whether they are geniuses from the upper realm or the lower realm, since they can be called geniuses, they naturally have some arrogance and a spirit of not admitting defeat.
Therefore, it's not surprising that these two groups clashed and some real conflict ensued.
The Holy Buddha spoke slowly.
Qin Shou nodded.
However, compared to this "battle between immortals and mortals," he was more curious about why these celestial prodigies had descended to the mortal realm.
Thinking this way, Qin Shou asked the same question.
The Holy Buddha paused for a moment after hearing this, then said, "For an ancient tomb."
"What kind of tomb?"
Qin Shou sat up straight without thinking.
An ancient tomb that can be coveted by beings in the upper realm is definitely not just the tomb of a Mahayana True Immortal.
Celestial Immortal? Golden Immortal? Or perhaps an even more powerful being...?
"Amitabha Buddha, this humble monk does not know exactly which being's tomb it is." The Holy Buddha shook his head and continued, "However, for something to attract the attention of those powerful immortals in the upper realm, the owner of this tomb must have been of extraordinary origin."
Qin Shou raised an eyebrow, suddenly recalling a prophecy from the Heavenly Mystery Sect decades ago, which seemed to say that a legendary ancient emperor's tomb was about to be revealed.
"Monk, do you think it's possible that this is the tomb of a Celestial Emperor?!"
Qin Shou's heart skipped a beat; he was shocked by his own thought.
"Amitabha Buddha, absolutely impossible."
The Holy Buddha shook his head, his tone quite firm, and said, "Our Buddhist sect can be said to be one of the oldest forces on this continent. According to the secret historical records, no one in this world has ever attained the Immortal Emperor realm."
"Moreover, beings capable of attaining the Immortal Emperor status are already indestructible, immortal, and eternally living. How could they possibly die so easily and even have their tomb erected in this small world?"
"Can an Immortal Emperor truly live forever?" Qin Shou murmured to himself, and couldn't help but think of the Eternal Sword Dao Master in the River of Time who claimed to have killed an Immortal Emperor.
"The power of the Immortal Emperor has long transcended the Dao; he is an ultimate being beyond our comprehension, his body capable of transforming into countless thoughts, immortal and indestructible, living as long as time itself."
Hearing the monk's words, Qin Shou suddenly raised his head and said in a sinister tone, "Have you ever heard of any Immortal Emperors existing in these myriad realms?"
"??????"
Saint Buddha was taken aback by Qin Beast's question.
Qin Shou continued, "If there were no Immortal Emperors, where did all those beings who attained the Immortal Emperor realm go?"
"It seems so."
The Holy Buddha scratched his head, then suddenly became serious and let out a long sigh.
"Alas, it seems this mystery can only be solved after I attain the Immortal Emperor realm."
Qin Beast: ? ? ? ? ?
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