Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Oh, that’s why.”
Standing in the wind, the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect remarked sentimentally while running his hand over his sparse hair, “It’s truly unfair.”
Cao Yuan was the strongest swordsman in Chaotian to begin with; now he had cultivated the golden body and received the fairy energy from Jing Yang, and learned the Control of the Soul Fire…How could anybody fight with him?
“Put down your weapon and become a Buddha on the very spot.”
Cao Yuan went on, “As long as you’re willing to do so, you’ll be able to cultivate the golden body.”
He intended to persuade the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect to surrender.
“It’s too hard; and I’ve always thought the mantra was irrational.”
The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect continued, “If one wishes to become a Buddha, shouldn’t he pick up the weapon first?”
Cao Yuan said after some thought, “The mantra seems irrational indeed. I take back what I have just said.”
“I’ve never seen someone who is as interesting and honest as you,” said the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect, laughing heartily.
Cao Yuan said, “I think you’re right that this fight is unfair.”
“This world is unfair,” said the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect, laughing no more. “The orthodox Cultivation sects all have good spiritual sources, but we only have the impure and miscellaneous spiritual sources, and we become the deviant sects in your eyes when we are forced to take other paths. The doctor monks of the Fruit Formation Temple are asked to treat the mortals by employing their cultivated Zen magic; isn’t it unfair to ask them to do so?”
Feeling baffled, Cao Yuan asked honestly, “Treating the wounded and helping the weak ones on the part of the stronger ones is a way to mend the unfairness; but why do you say it’s unfair?”
The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect said earnestly, “Being born, getting old and sick and dying are all parts of the life cycle. They are mortals simply because they can’t overcome all these. There is no point in asking the monks of the temple to treat them. The others respect you monks for this, but not me. You should give it a thought on whether the spiritual energy of heaven and earth should ascend with the Cultivation practitioners or waste on those rotten skins and bones to keep the mortals alive for a short time. Have you asked the monks of the temple if they are actually willing to do so? If even one person has a fleeting thought that he didn’t want to do it, it means that you are treating him unfairly.”
“It turns out that you truly believe in the Immortal Taiping’s ideal,” said Cao Yuan, feeling surprised.
The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect spat at the ground, adding a small hole on the rock. “If I didn’t believe in the Immortal Taiping, why would I follow him around for so many years?”
Cao Yuan said sentimentally, “The whole of Cultivation world are expecting you to strike a fatal blow to him. But it turns out that we’re all mistaken.”
Ever since the death of Kou Qintong, the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect was the sole powerful figure among the deviant sects of the world. Nobody believed that an important figure like him was willing to be a “dog” in the eyes of the Immortal Taiping, and they all thought that the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect served him so obediently because of the threat of the Sword Formation of Green Mountain.
“I’ve been arrogant and famous during my lifetime…and also have been humiliated. It’s said that the guy over there is the best at digging tunnels, but I’m actually much better at it, ” said the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect while pointing to Tong Yan.
The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect narrowed his eyes while looking at the surface of the ocean. He saw a boat in the distance through his sparse hairs dangling in front of his eyes.
The boat must be on its way to a very faraway place; but its destination was unknown.
Countless scenes in the past several hundred years had flashed in front of his eyes between his sparse hairs. They later merged into the boat on the surface of the ocean, disappearing into the distance.
Those scenes were cruel and evil; and some of them were arrogant and extremely conceited. But most of them were sheer darkness.
The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect could only find his way around via his spiritual awareness in the sunless underground. He couldn’t even see any lava there. He used both of his hands to dig into the dirt and rocks in order to evade the pursuit of the Sword Formation of Green Mountain. As such, he had dug deeper and deeper into the underground, and he had almost gotten lost a few times. His feeling was probably the same as the saying “Can’t see the end of the tunnel”.
When he heard the flute outside the cliff wall that day and knew the identity of the other party, he felt like crying in relief rather than taking revenge on him.
As long as he could get out of the underground and see the sun again, he was willing to do anything.
Nobody was willing to be someone’s “dog”, not to mention that he had been someone who was a grandmaster of a deviant sect and used to ordering all the swordsmen of the deviant sects.
While following the Immortal Taiping around, the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect had been thinking of striking a fatal blow to him when an opportunity presented itself; for instance, he had tried to recruit that fat monk at the Fruit Formation Temple by enticing him with pig legs…Yet, all of his attempts had failed. Would he keep on trying? As suspected by the people, the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect stared at the back of the Immortal Taiping with a green glow in his eyes and saliva trickling down from the corners of his mouth; and he was ready to pounce on the ankle of the Immortal Taiping and bite it before dragging him into the abyss…
This old “dog” had been wandering the world with the Immortal Taiping. Later on, a rooster had been added to the wandering troupe.
They had been wandering on and on.
The old “dog” was getting old indeed.
…
…
The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect didn’t tell Cao Yuan about his experiences and thoughts over the years; it was because doing so was unnecessary and ludicrous. He took out an alcohol jar and a ceramic cup from inside his sleeve and filled up the cup with oily green wine. He brought the wine cup to his lips and sipped it slowly. He said in a drunken manner after letting out a content sigh, “I’ve never been to the upper world, and have no idea if what the Immortal said is true; I think what he said is rather appealing, and by the way, this wine is truly tasty. Do you think I care about whether the human race will be extinct or not? You should’ve known that I’m the one who eats people. But I think this is a significant matter; it’s so significant that one can forget about their fears because of it.”
“What fears?” asked Cao Yuan.
The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect tossed the alcohol jar and the wine cup off the cliff before saying, “The purpose of cultivating is to overcome life and death. The mortals believe in the teachings of the churches for the purpose of defying life and death.”
The purpose or meaning of all the actions could be summarized as doing it for life and death.
Cao Yuan understood what he meant, and said earnestly, “Everything is like…”
“Everything is like an illusion; it’s freaking nonsense,” the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect cut him off sharply. “Don’t tell me that everything is nothingness or that it’s the perception of the practitioners. I’ve listened to the scripts for dozens of years at the Fruit Formation Temple and know as much as you do. I know that I am who I am and my existence is the true existence regardless of how the Buddha and the others will view me. I am of course fearful when I ascertain that I can’t ascend and all I can see is the darkness.”
After a long moment of silence, Cao Yuan said, “Hence, you need to do this.”
“You’re right. I’m helping with the destruction of the world…Do you think it’s some kind of a joke?” The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect let out a hoarse and hideous laugh.
“Why are the scholars of the One-Cottage House willing to sacrifice for the state? Why are those orthodox Cultivation practitioners willing to sacrifice for their sects? It’s because they have a belief, which can help them overcome the fear of life and death…” said the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect. “I’m fully aware that this is a stupid idea and irrational; but it’s useful…yeah…very useful,” he trailed off.
Cao Yuan asked him earnestly, “Are you still fearful right now?”
“A little.”
The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect breathed more quickly now, as he said while staring at Cao Yuan, “But fighting against you can make me feel excited and help me forget the matter since you’re the strongest swordsman in Chaotian.”
“Good,” said Cao Yuan.
The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect said, “Come on. Raise the broadsword in your hands, and help me overcome my fear.”
Having said that, the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect straightened his bunched back and looked quite tall now.
A flash of broadsword light illuminated the East Ocean.
Crack!!!
It sounded like a finger brushing the solid rocks underneath the Cold Mountain…
Like a cloth being torn apart…
Like a sigh…
It was considerably benevolent.
…
…
“It sounded the same as a can being snapped apart; it’s not so complicated.”
The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect made the comment while covering his ears with his hands. He looked like a cowardly little child who enjoyed lighting the firecrackers but was shuddered by the rumbling thunder in the sky.
A bit of black smoke seeped out between his fingers, the end of which had a trace of bright red color.
As soon as the black fog fell onto the ground, it was ablaze immediately. Some faint noises of explosion could be heard, which should be the result of fast expansion of the cold ice.
Seeing the Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect in such a manner, Cao Yuan didn’t know what to say, feeling a bit sentimental.
The Great Grandmaster of the Mysterious Dark Sect said while covering his ears, “You’re so powerful, but you’ve been always beaten badly by that Queen of the Snowy Kingdom. She must be exceedingly formidable.”
“You’re going to die; why are you still worried about this thing?” Cao Yuan asked sympathetically. “Be careful; cover your ears more tightly.”
