Chapter 685: Battle in the Sky
The Western Regions, the ancestral home of Buddhism.
The sunlight shines through the clouds and onto the glazed tiles of the Jinguang Temple built on the mountainside, which reflect the golden light.
The magnificent temple, once filled with the sound of bells, is now very quiet.
Driven by the Dharma King's decree, all the monks in the Western Regions rushed to the battlefield. This huge holy land in the Western Regions was deserted with only a few people in sight.
But at this moment, on the central axis of Jinguang Temple, which leads from the main gate to the deepest main hall, on the square paved with pure white jade, a monk in pure white robes was running hurriedly.
Bian Ji lifted the hem of his monk's robe with his left and right hands, and every time he leaped on the stone slab, his monk's shoes would cover a long distance.
Finally, he arrived at the deepest part of Jinguang Temple. Under the huge five-sided glazed roof, the towering hall door was closed.
Bian Ji stopped in his tracks. He stood outside the door in fear, took a deep breath, and said loudly:
"Abbot!"
There was a brief silence inside the palace, and then Xuan Yin's old voice was heard:
"I said, during the retreat, no one is allowed to disturb you."
Bian Ji hurriedly defended himself:
"Something serious has happened! The Buddha amulet that Master Dajing placed in the temple just shattered, leaving behind not even a soul. I'm afraid he encountered the Empress of Yu and was killed by her."
The hall fell silent again, and there was no response for a long time.
Bian Ji stood outside the hall with his head bent, and beads of sweat gradually seeped out of his bald head.
He called out "Abbot" a few more times tentatively, but received no response.
An indescribable fear was growing wildly in his heart.
The former "successor" of Shenlong Temple raised his head cautiously and looked at the towering vermilion palace gate in front of him.
It was like an ant standing outside the South Gate of Heaven in folk legends, feeling infinitely small and humble.
Bian Ji couldn't remember when he started to be so afraid of Xuan Yin, whom he regarded as his teacher.
The teacher who was unfathomable in the past but never hesitated to teach him gradually became a stranger after arriving in the Western Regions. The occasional glance he cast at him made Bian Ji feel cold all over.
"Abbot! Is there something wrong with your practice? If you don't respond, I will dare to come in!"
Bian Ji shouted loudly, but still received no response.
He took a deep breath, finally raised his hands, pressed them hard on the towering palace door, and exerted force with his arms.
“Zazaza—”
He finally pushed open the heavy palace door.
The sunlight from the east passed by his thin body and poured into the dark hall.
At first, a bright line appeared on the ground, gradually spreading out, and everything in the hall was reflected in Bian Ji's eyes.
The Buddhist temple, which should have been solemn and righteous, was filled with an unsettling and ominous atmosphere.
The benevolent faces of the Buddha statues on both sides of the hall also appear ferocious in the transformation of light and shadow.
In the center, on the huge lotus pedestal where the Dharma King was seated at the deepest part, the Dharma King of the Western Regions, wearing gorgeous colorful clothes and a crown inlaid with various gems on his head, had his robes opened wide and was embracing Xuan Yin, who also had his brown monk's robes opened wide.
The bodies and flesh of the two people were fused together, like deformed conjoined twins.
Most of Xuan Yin's body has been integrated into the Dharma King's chest and abdomen, as if it had been eaten!
The Dharma King, who looked like a middle-aged man, and Xuan Yin, who looked like an old man, were biting each other's shoulders.
Amidst the thick smell of blood, the Dharma King and Xuan Yin let go of each other at the same time and turned their heads together. Two heads and four eyes stared deeply at the intruding white-robed monk.
"ah--"
Bian Ji cried out in shock, and unspeakable fear exploded from his heart, almost scaring him to death!
He wanted to run away, but was horrified to find that he could no longer move his body, as if he was frozen in place. He could only watch the two people in the hall hugging and eating each other.
After an unknown amount of time, Xuan Yin's entire body merged into the Dharma King's body.
The blood-stained face of the King of France was distorted and changed, the facial features of the two people were intertwined and overlapped, and finally, a brand new face was formed!
A vast Buddha's light spread out behind the Dharma King. He stood up with a smile, stepped down from the lotus platform, and walked barefoot to Bian Ji, saying slowly:
"Tathagata, Tathagata, today, as all the Buddhas have returned, I grant you permission to enter the Sumeru Heavenly Kingdom."
Then, when Ksitigarbha returned to the human world, his chest split open and his body swelled up. In front of Bian Ji's desperate gaze, he ate him.
When only a blood-stained white monk's robe was left on the ground, Dizang staggered out of the hall and looked towards Yumen Pass in the east.
His face first showed incomparable joy, but then, a sense of uneasiness gradually emerged between his brows.
"I have already become a human immortal. Who in the world can be my enemy?"
…
…
Yumen Pass.
The Empress Xu Zhenguan of Dayu stood alone on the black and mottled city wall burned by the war.
In sight, there were Western monks and soldiers from various countries surrounding the city in the mountains and plains, but they were not attacking.
The dragon robe on her body was still spotless, the pearl curtain representing the emperor on her head was still bright and dazzling, and the Taia sword at her waist was still sharp.
But on that stunningly beautiful face, the slender eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and her beautiful eyes revealed the sadness of a broken mountain and river.
The morning sun rose behind her, illuminating the armor and swords of the few remaining imperial masters in the ruined Yumen Pass, and then the fluttering tattered dragon flag on the top of the city wall.
In this long-deceased city, there is no life other than theirs.
But the dragon flag on the city wall proves all the time that this is still the territory of Dayu.
Like the last island in the vast ocean.
Dressed in a bright red python robe, he stepped on the cracked blue bricks and came to the top of the city wall. The sea priest, whose hair had turned completely white, stared deeply at the empress's back and bowed in a trembling voice:
"In compliance with your majesty's orders, all the fallen soldiers within the city will be buried on the spot, wrapped in dragon flags. There are now forty-eight remaining within the city. All are to be assembled here. Your majesty, please dispatch them."
The empress, who was still as graceful as a jade figure in the midst of war, finally came to her senses, turned around, and glanced at the forty-seven people lined up under the city wall one by one.
In silence.
Xue Shence, dressed in black armor and holding a heavy halberd, stepped out and suddenly knelt on one knee. He spoke earnestly and loudly:
"Your Majesty! This battle has been lost. Your Majesty's life as the Son of Heaven cannot be shattered. I beg you to escort Your Majesty out of this city, so that we can reunite with our forces in the rear and rebuild our country!"
Tang Jinzhong, the imperial palace attendant, followed closely behind and also knelt on one knee:
"I beg you to escort Your Majesty out of the city!"
Song Jinxi, who had already entered the realm of the world, knelt on one knee, his voice like the cry of a cuckoo:
"Your Majesty, I beg you to escort us out of the city!"
"Your servants, please..."
"I beg your pardon..."
One after another, the battle-hardened masters knelt on the ground with sincere feelings.
However, Xu Zhenguan's eyes were filled with sadness. She shook her head gently and said, "It's too late."
"Your Majesty..." Hai Gongsheng raised his head in astonishment, as if wanting to confirm his guess.
Xu Zhenguan's next words hit them like a hammer:
"I can sense the changes in the heavens. I sensed a breakthrough in the Mysterious Seal a few days ago, so I made a desperate effort. Unfortunately, now that I have reached Yumen Pass, I am still one step too late."
At this time, almost everyone felt the change in the atmosphere between heaven and earth, as if a furnace was rising from the west, hotter than the sun behind them.
Just as when the ocean is boiled, all life in the ocean will notice it.
Xu Zhenguan's voice drifted in the wind:
"Above the gods, there is no one on earth who can defeat me. If that's the case, even if we fight our way out again, where can we retreat to?"
She suddenly stretched out her delicate hand and grasped the flagpole beside her. The empress grasped the dragon flag in her hand and raised it high:
"It is often said that the emperor guards the country's borders. I was appointed in times of crisis. I have been on the throne for several years, trembling with fear. Now that there is no way out, how can I hand over the Yumen territory to others?"
The elderly eunuch Hai sobbed and stretched out his hands:
"Your Majesty, I have been guarding the Xu family for over a hundred years. Today, I beg you to carry the flag for your Majesty."
Xu Zhenguan smiled and nodded gently, handing over the dragon flag. She gripped the hilt of her sword with her left hand and once again gazed out at the surging, silent enemy outside the city, like a vast ocean. The sword hummed softly, and she whispered softly:
"Then my master and I will charge into battle again?"
Xue Shence and other soldiers were moved, and a wave of sadness and blood surged:
"I swear to follow you till death!"
Xu Zhenguan smiled as the cold wind blew in from the pass, blowing up her yellow robe.
At this moment, she finally turned her head again with reluctance, looking towards the direction of Mubei Forest, her red lips tightly pursed, thinking:
Zhao Duan, I have to leave first.
It's a pity that I can't wait for you to come back.
And just when she was about to draw her sword and head west with the determination to die, the Taia sword at her waist suddenly, as if it sensed something, began to tremble wildly, excitedly, and joyfully!
Xu Zhenguan followed the guidance of the sword intent in a daze, turned around and looked. In her pupils, a white rainbow was reflected, which came from thousands of miles away and arrived in an instant, crossing the sky and the earth.
Suddenly a cool breeze blew on my face.
A figure appeared beside her silently.
Zhao Duan's warm and dry big hand also pressed on the empress's cold jade hand that was tightly grasping the hilt of the sword.
He smiled and said, "Your Majesty, where are you going?"
The empress stared blankly at the familiar face that was so close to her, the one that had haunted her dreams for countless nights over the past year.
Two lines of clear tears burst out of her eyes and flowed down her cheeks.
Endless, complex, filled with longing, surprise, resentment, pity... countless emotions mixed into inseparable feelings.
She could no longer maintain her regal demeanor and threw herself into his arms, almost in a panic, crying silently:
"I...thought you...were dead."
Zhao Duan smiled gently:
"I promised Your Majesty that we would meet outside. How dare I disobey your order?"
On the side, Eunuch Hai, who was carrying the dragon flag, was so shocked that he almost lost the ability to speak and could only tremble.
Under the city wall, Xue Shence, Tang Jinzhong, Song Jinxi and other generals and servants were also staring in shock at the figure on the wall who was holding the empress in his arms. He was known to everyone in the entire Yu Kingdom.
"grown ups……"
"Master Zhao...is back..."
For no apparent reason, even though they were in a desperate situation, a vigorous and powerful vitality rose from the hearts of the forty-eight people, like a raging fire that could never be extinguished.
It was as if everyone firmly believed that as long as this person appeared, all miracles would happen.
“I…I…”
Xu Zhenguan realized her own loss of composure belatedly and hurriedly struggled to break free from him like a little woman, wiping her tears with her hands. She wanted to maintain her imperial demeanor, but felt embarrassed. Finally, she made up her mind and pretended that the ministers around her were not around. She raised her head, opened her lips, and wanted to ask.
I want to ask everything, everything about the past year, but I don’t know how to start.
Zhao Duan smiled, suddenly stretched out a finger and pressed it against her lips, then with the same finger, he gently touched the center of the empress's eyebrows, and a little light bloomed.
Images and information poured into the Empress's sea of consciousness from her fingertips like a torrent.
Xu Zhenguan was stunned. After a moment, she knew everything that happened in Mubei Forest.
The memories that her puppet body had personally experienced, the memories that had already dissipated between heaven and earth, were now returned by Zhao Duan.
The two memories merged together extremely naturally. Xu Zhenguan closed his eyes and opened them again, and he understood everything.
She raised her hand and stroked Zhao Duan's face, a smile appearing on her tear-stained face:
"I knew you could do it."
Zhao Duan smiled, then turned around and looked towards the outside of the pass. His sight passed over the countless monks and soldiers, and towards the sky above the distant mountains. He said loudly:
"Ksitigarbha, now that you've arrived, why don't you show yourself?"
His voice echoed across the vast land, as if heaven and earth were roaring.
Countless people outside the city looked up in astonishment, and then everyone saw endless ripples spreading across the sky.
Thousands of feet high in the sky, a vague country covered the entire sky.
Dressed in colorful robes and a crown of precious pearls, Ksitigarbha Dharma King, who looked like a middle-aged man and walked barefoot, stood on the clouds. His majestic gaze looked down at the men and women on the city walls below. His voice, like a loud bell, was filled with fear and anger:
"Maya! Why aren't you dead?!"
Zhao Duan smiled, shook his head and said:
"First, my name is not Maya, but Zhao Du'an. People in the capital of Yu State call me King Zhao Yan. You can call me that, too."
"Secondly, if you, a traitor, didn't die, how could I bear to die?"
"Third, six hundred years ago, Old Xu cleaned you out once, but unfortunately it wasn't thorough enough. But this time, I'll come and clean up the mess myself."
Ksitigarbha was extremely angry, but he himself did not realize that his voice was tinged with deep fear:
"Zhao Duan! I remember now. I should have killed you long ago. Killed you..."
Then the anger on his face disappeared, and turned into a solemn and majestic expression:
"Donor Zhao, I have achieved great enlightenment in Buddhism. You are no match for me. How about we both take a step back and take half of this world? A thousand years of cultivation is not easy, so why bother fighting to the death for mortal ants?"
Zhao Duan stood on the wall and thought seriously for a while. Then, he smiled brightly:
"I also have a plan. You commit suicide here, and then I will completely destroy your soul. Then I will let all your disciples go. How about that?"
At this time, in the fields outside the city, tens of thousands of Buddhist monks and soldiers from the Western Regions were staring at the sky in astonishment, deeply shocked by the conversation between the two sides.
They didn't understand why their Dharma King had changed his appearance, and they didn't understand why the Dharma King called Zhao Duan "Maya".
Maya Maya...isn't he the saintly master who founded Buddhism a thousand years ago?
At this moment, as the faith of countless monks on earth wavered, the "Sumeru Buddha Kingdom" behind Dizang began to flicker. His face became extremely gloomy and he cursed:
"waste."
Then he opened his big mouth and with just one suck, he ate up countless monks outside the city, using them for his own purposes and merging them into one with himself.
He furiously turned into the golden sky bit by bit and flew into the kingdom of God in the clouds. It seemed that there were countless jade buildings and the Sumeru Buddha Kingdom with the Buddhist music and cicada singing was like a huge "scroll", covering the sky and the sun.
"Zhao Duan! If you want to die, I will save you!"
Ksitigarbha Dharma King roared angrily, then his face turned into one of compassion and majesty:
"Donor Zhao, do you dare to ascend to heaven and fight?"
"Zhao Qing..." The empress's heart tightened, and her jade hand subconsciously reached out to grab him, but she saw Zhao Duan gently shaking his head at her:
"wait for me."
The empress gritted her teeth and pleaded:
"Wait, put on my dragon robe..."
She wanted to untie her robe in public, because this dragon robe was also a defensive robe, but Zhao Duan stopped her.
Zhao Duan raised his head to the sky and chanted softly, his voice full of ancient rhythm:
"Who says I have no clothes? I share your robes. When the king raises his army, I will sharpen my spear and sword, so that we can share the same hatred."
He leaped up, and feathers of light surrounded him:
"Who says I have no clothes? I will share the same clothes with you. When the king raises his army, I will sharpen my spears and halberds and work with you."
In full view of the crowd, he transformed into a white rainbow and soared into the sky:
"Who says I have no clothes? I will share my clothes with you. When the king raises his army, I will prepare my armor and weapons and go with you!"
High above the sky.
Zhao Duan stretched out his whole body. The blue clouds under his feet, the blue lotus between his eyebrows, and the rosy light surrounding his body merged into one, wrapping his whole body. He turned into a rainbow and ascended to the sky.
His handsome face showed a harmonious and clear glow.
There is only one perfect person in heaven and earth.
Zhao Duan did not turn around, not daring to look at the empress who was infatuated with him on the city wall behind him, fearing that she would be soft-hearted and afraid to fight because of the beauty.
In his mind, countless memories from the past thousand years flowed through like a waterfall. He was absolutely certain that Maya's life a thousand years ago was truly dull and boring, and all his cherishment and reluctance to let go were in just a few short years in this life, when he spent day and night with the beauty on the city wall.
God? Abandoning humanity?
Mortal? Thoughts and intentions?
Who is right and who is wrong...
I had made my choice before my death a thousand years ago, and in this life, I, a human immortal born in this mortal world, must fight for everything I cherish.
Between heaven and earth, Yumen Pass is the boundary, dividing heaven and earth into two parts, just like the sea where the water and the sky are connected.
Ksitigarbha is in the sky.
Human immortals are in the world.
At this moment, the entire continent saw the white rainbow heading straight for the sky.
In the village, the barefoot, black-haired, porcelain-white body of the female Prajna Bodhisattva, holding a porcelain bottle and walking among the crowd to treat the wounded, suddenly raised her hand and looked towards the west, with a look of shock and enlightenment on her cold face.
She clasped her hands together and bowed devoutly: "Amitabha..."
In a forest, "Prince Jing's Consort" Lu Yan'er, wearing a veil and a silver mask, was about to take off the mask and fight to the death with the enemy in front.
Suddenly, everyone stopped fighting and looked up into the distance. Lu Yan'er felt a sudden emotion in her heart, and she thought of a name:
"Lord Zhao."
On the bank of the river, Young Master Tang Ping rode on horseback, the red tassel on his head already cut off. He loudly commanded his soldiers to cross the river:
"Master Dong! You take the elderly, weak, women and children away first, I'll cover your rear!"
Suddenly, Shi Meng, the commander of the Shenji Camp, called out to him, "Look over there!"
The river is gurgling.
Tang Ping, Shi Meng, Chen Huoshen, and the scholar Dong Da, who had joined the army in the past and had already developed courage and bandit spirit, and was completely different from the scholar he was back then, all looked up at the west sky and marveled in ecstasy.
…
Yunfu Road.
A war is about to break out, and the border troops led by Zhao Shixiong once again have a decisive battle with the Liao people led by Song Zhi.
Suddenly, both sides had an idea and stopped at the same time, turning their heads to look towards the distant Yumen Pass.
The two people, whose cultivation was comparable to that of a half-step celestial being, saw much more than others. They were so shocked that they lost the ability to speak.
Zhao Shixiong suddenly burst into laughter: "Song Zhi, he's back, you're done!"
Song Zhi's face was ashen.
In the capital, Mo Chou led hundreds of officials and heard the bell from the Tianshi Mansion. The officials walked out of the Golden Palace, stopped in the square, and looked into the distance to the west.
…
The green lotus leads the way, the rosy clouds protect the body, and the blue sky soars.
Zhao Duan turned into a white rainbow and attacked against the heaven.
Under the gaze of countless familiar people, he resolutely ascended to the sky. He closed his eyes and burned himself into a blazing white flame, muttering silently in his heart:
Wait until the beginning, clean up the old mountains and rivers, and face the sky.
His body gradually became transparent in the flames, like a true god. Only the last human thought lingered, thinking that there was a woman waiting for him in this world.
The white rainbow had already reached the outer realm of Xumi Heaven. Zhao Duan suddenly opened his eyes and shouted in a low voice:
"Ksitigarbha, come down and die!"
Sitting in the kingdom of God, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva only perceived a vast human world. The thoughts of countless people were like trickles that merged into a river. The mortal creatures that he regarded as ants actually burst out with thoughts that were enough to destroy the gods, making the entire kingdom of God shaky.
Until this moment, he finally felt a real fear in his heart. The two faces overlapped and made overlapping sounds:
"Zhao Duan, you will not die well!"
Countless beings across the Nine Provinces witnessed a scene they would never forget:
The sky of the entire world was engulfed in white fireworks, as if burning all the dirt, and the brilliant light of the morning sun was no longer dazzling.
The sky is on fire and it spreads all over the land.
——
There are only one or two chapters left to complete the book. Finally, please give me a monthly ticket for August.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
