Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Zhang Ruochen quietly walked into the pub and sat in a corner. He ordered a bottle of wine and drank quietly.
Although he was now famous, few people could recognize him.
He remained unnoticed.
Zhang Rouchen had just sat down when a voice rang in his ear. “Amitabha! Alms Giver, can I sit here?”
He raised his head and saw a bald man in plain clothes behind him.
Why did Zhang Ruochen think that he was a bald man and not a monk?
It was because he was very tall, 2.7 meters, just like a giant. If ordinary people stood beside him, they would only reach his stomach.
Moreover, he looked ugly and ferocious, carrying a two-meter-long broadsword on his back.
No matter how he looked at it, the man looked like a butcher rather than a monk.
The bald man tried to squeeze out a smile that he believed to be very kind and said, “The tavern is already crowded and there are only three empty seats. Alms Giver, give me a chance!”
Zhang Ruochen nodded.
“Thank you.”
The bald man immediately clasped his hands and uttered a Buddha’s name, then he sat down across Zhang Ruochen.
Perhaps because he was too heavy the wooden chair creaked when he sat down, as if it would break any time.
“My Buddhist name is Lidi. Alms Giver, what’s your name?”
Monk Lidi forced a friendly smile again, his eyes narrowing to a slit.
It was just that his smile, together with his figure, gave people a very strange feeling.
Zhang Ruochen stared at the monk once again, focusing on his waist.
On Monk Lidi’s waist were four tokens: the Black Iron Token representing the first on the Yellow Board, the Bronze Token representing the first on the Profound Board, the Silver Token representing the first on the Earth Board, and the Golden Token which only Heaven Board warriors could have.
However, the characters printed on the Golden Token was not first, but a rank after one million, almost at the end of the Heaven Board.
Zhang Ruochen felt that this monk was a bit strange so he seriously said, “Who are you?”
“My Buddhist name is Lidi,” Monk Lidi said again.
As he spoke, the monk took a Buddha bead from his bosom and placed it on a corner of the table.
The moment the bead fell on the table…
With a swoosh, the Buddha bead emitted a harsh golden light. Golden lines of Sanskrit flew from the Buddha bead and suspended in the void space.
All of the drinkers in the pub suddenly disappeared.
Zhang Ruochen and Monk Lidi were still seated opposite each other at the table as if they were suspended in the center of heaven and earth. It seemed like they were the only ones left in the whole universe; it was very quiet.
“Amala Domain!”
Zhang Ruochen was not alarmed. He stared at the bald man who claimed to be a monk and asked, “Are you a disciple of the Thousand Buddhas Sect?”
Monk Lidi clasped his hands and said, “The Thousand Buddhas Sect has long been broken up, with only three branches left – the Brahma Sect, the Bodhi Temple, and the Birth and Death Temple.”
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Which sect are you from?”
“I’m a disciple of the Brahma Sect.”
Zhang Ruochen cautiously said, “As far as I know, 800 years ago the Brahma Sect was the most powerful branch of the Thousand Buddhas Sect. At that time, the Sect Leader’s Buddhist name was ‘Zhaoxi’. In terms of cultivation in Buddhist doctrine, he surpassed the Sect Leader of the Thousand Buddhas Sect. He was known as the First Man in Buddhism and was called the ‘Buddhist Emperor’ by the external world.”
“Yes.” Monk Lidi nodded.
Zhang Ruochen asked, “Do you know who I am?”
Monk Lidi nodded again and said, “Zhang Ruochen, Buddha Emperor’s descendant.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Therefore, you sought me out on purpose?”
Monk Lidi said, “Alms Giver Zhang, this poor monk, under the Sect Leader’s order, especially went down the mountain to invite you to visit the Brahma Sect.”
Zhang Ruochen lifted his glass while playing with it with his fingers. He said, “What’s your purpose? Just say it directly.”
Monk Lidi forced a smile again and went straight to the point. “Sect Leader said that the Buddhist Emperor’s Sarira is ultimately a sacred article of the Brahma Sect. We’re willing to exchange more precious treasures with you in order to obtain it. Of course, you may also choose to be a monk in the Brahma Sect. Then, the Buddhist Emperor’s Sarira will still belong to you.”
Zhang Ruochen was expressionless as he said, “What if I choose neither?”
Monk Lidi pondered for a moment before saying, “Then this poor monk will have to follow by Alms Giver Zhang’s side until he makes a choice.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “If my eyes did not deceive me, it seems your cultivation is the Completion of Heaven. Are you sure that you can keep up with me?”
“Alms Giver Zhang, are you not at the Completion of Heaven realm?” Monk Lidi laughed humbly.
Zhang Ruochen showed a bit of interest in the monk and said with a smile, “I rank first on the Heaven Board . Master, aren’t you too confident?”
“The first on the Heaven Board may not be invincible,” Monk Lidi said with a laugh.
Zhang Ruochen intended to test the monk’s strength, so he mobilized the Genuine Qi to display Divine Dragon’s Steal, the sixth movement of the Dragon and Elephant Palm.
From his palm rays of lightning appeared, then he struck out his palm into the space between them.
However, because Zhang Ruochen was not sure whether the monk was an enemy or a friend, he did not want to injure him. Hence, he only mobilized 10% of his strength.
“Dragon and Elephant Palm.”
Monk Lidi smiled and slowly raised his hand.
As he lifted his palms, Monk Lidi’s body turned red, like a red-hot human-shaped iron. It emitted a fiery glow as if there was a burning sun in his body.
“Dragon and Elephant Furnace, the seventh movement of Dragon and Elephant Palm.”
Monk Lidi struck out a palm, countering Zhang Ruochen’s handprint.
“Boom!”
Zhang Ruochen’s body slipped three meters backward while remaining seated on the bench.
Monk Lidi, who was still sitting there motionless, slowly clasped his hands and uttered a Buddha’s name. “Amitabha!”
Zhang Ruochen’s right arm dangled, completely losing consciousness. Then he felt severe pain in his shoulders.
In that duel, the monk had dislocated his arm.
The truth was, when Zhang Ruochen realized that the monk was powerful, he had immediately run the Genuine Qi with all his strength and used 100% power.
However, as he became stronger, the other party also became stronger.
In the end, Zhang Ruochen’s arm was dislocated but Monk Lidi was unscathed. Obviously, Monk Lidi had not used his full power just now.
“Amazing!”
Zhang Ruochen held back the pain and repositioned the dislocated arm himself. He gazed at the monk sitting across him, still composed. Zhang Ruochen said, “No warrior of the Heaven Realm can possess that power you just showed.”
Monk Lidi nodded and said, “This poor monk practiced an occult art called ‘Thorough Remoulding’. After the Buddhist Emperor’s death, he did not only leave a Sarira but also a golden body. The golden body has now merged with me. Of course, the golden body was just skin. It was good for nothing except for strength. This poor monk just wants to tell Alms Giver Zhang that this poor monk is also the Buddha Emperor’s descendant. Theoretically, we’re brother disciples!”
Zhang Ruochen took a deep breath and said with a smile, “No matter how good you think you are, there is always someone out there that is better. The No. 1 on the Heaven Board is really not necessarily the strongest.”
“I have a question. With the master’s strength, since he is already number one on the Yellow Board, number one on the Profound Board, and number one on the Earth Board, why not fight for the number one on the Heaven Board?”
Monk Lidi shook his head and said with a laugh, “This poor monk is still honing his disposition, fearing that he’ll surrender to temptation.”
“What is the temptation?” Zhang Ruochen asked.
“The Ultimate Realm of the Heaven Realm.”
Monk Lidi continued speaking. “Upon reaching No. 1 on the Heaven Board, one will have tens of millions of military merits. Just a step further is the Ultimate Realm. What cultivator does not want to reach the Ultimate Realm? This poor monk has a shallow foundation and weak Buddha mind. I’m afraid that I can’t withstand this temptation.”
Zhang Ruochen said, “Since you want to reach the Ultimate Realm, you should follow your heart. Why must you restrain yourself?”
Monk Lidi closed his eyes and said, “No killing, no killing.”
Zhang Ruochen understood!
If one wanted to reach the Ultimate Realm of the Heaven Realm, one had to kill indigens of the Primitive World in order to accumulate military merits.
For the Buddhists, it was taboo to kill.
Once the commandment against killing was broken, one would probably fall onto the demonic path.
It was because of the great temptation of the Ultimate Realm in the Heaven Realm that Monk Lidi did not dare fight for number one on the Heaven Board. The closer to the Ultimate Realm, the greater the temptation would be.
Of course, even if Monk Lidi really wanted to fight for first place on the Heaven Board, Zhang Ruochen may not necessarily lose to him.
After all, the contest just now was palm power, but Zhang Ruochen’s forte was sword technique.
Even if Monk Lidi fused with the Buddhist Emperor’s golden body and his flesh became “indestructible and immortal”, he would surely have weaknesses and flaws. Zhang Ruochen still had a chance to win.
Monk Lidi put away the Buddha bead. Suddenly, all the Sanskrit disappeared and noise again came from their surroundings.
They were still in the tavern, sitting on two sides of the table. However, no one noticed that they had already fought against each other once.
Monk Lidi said with seriousness, “Alms Giver Zhang, what do you think? How will you choose? Do you want to exchange the Sarira with the Brahma Sect? Or do you want to become a monk in the Brahma Sect? If Alms Giver Zhang chooses the latter, this poor monk is willing to be your junior fellow apprentice and give up his identity as the chief disciple of the Brahma Sect.”
Zhang Ruochen gave a weak smile.
First of all, Zhang Ruochen would not trade the Sarira with the Brahma Sect because that Sarira was of great use to him.
If he wanted to quickly improve his cultivation and catch up with Chi Yao, he had to use the power of Sarira.
Secondly, he would not be a monk.
However, if he did not make a choice, how could he get rid of Monk Lidi?
At this moment, there was loud laughter in the pub. “What kind of romantic person am I? Zhang Ruochen, the number one on the Heaven Board, is the real romantic person. It is said that Orange Star Emissary of the Black Market Excellent Hall, after being captured by him, has been tamed into a plaything on the bed, sleeping with him every night. The startling beauty of the Emissary, just thinking about it makes me so envious.”
“Really? Zhang Ruochen was so brave that he dared to sleep with the God’s favored daughter of the Black Market Excellence Hall?”
“Absolutely true, otherwise why would he remain home the past few days? If it weren’t for this, I’d be afraid that he had already gone and accumulated military merits to break through the Ultimate Realm.”
“Ah! The tender land is a hero’s grave. Unexpectedly, Zhang Ruochen is actually a lecherous person.”
“Zhang Ruochen is a man, after all. How can a man be indifferent to beauty?”
Hearing everyone’s words, Monk Lidi stared at Zhang Ruochen with a strange look in his eyes, as if he was reassessing Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly and looked at the man who had just spoken, wanting to see who had started the rumor.
