Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 457 - 51 Do You Dare?

Chapter 457: Chapter 51 Do You Dare?

"The cosmos honors the saint, yet regards the saint with taboo."

Despite having lost his position as the Venerable of the Buddhist Sect, the old monk remained one of the pinnacle cultivators among the Immortals, with his foundation still intact. He looked directly into those serene eyes, discerning greed, anger, and ignorance.

"Mortals might at most cause turmoil within a nation in their fifty-year lifespan, cultivators practicing Qi Cultivation to the Dao Realm might at most bring calamity to a region, and even True Immortals at most afflict all living beings. But the skies are limitless on all eight sides, the earth below is a million zhang thick, there are countless Grotto Heavens, and there are myriads of mountains and rivers."

"Even if an Immortal slaughters billions of beings, after ten thousand years, the cosmos will still thrive with vitality."

"But saints are different, saints can make water flow uphill, can bring the dead back to life and disrupt Yin and Yang. If one day you resurrect the dead, the next day inexhaustible fierce ghosts will appear."

"Amitabha Buddha, do you dare, Benefactor?"

Do I dare?

When Gu Wen was asked, the corners of his mouth curled into a slight smile, which though soft, echoed throughout the entire Buddhist temple.

The old monk also laughed, even more unrestrainedly, like a man gone mad.

"Do you dare? You who are esteemed as the Yuqing Heavenly Venerate, the exemplar of this world, and personally mentored by Qingcang. This world could be yours, but it could also be your shackle and prison. Do you dare commit the great transgression of slaughtering the common people? And do you dare destroy all of Qingcang’s lifelong efforts?"

"You do not dare, for at your core, you are but a mortal, a common man full of coarse desires!"

He cursed Gu Wen, berated his imperfect state of mind, chastised him for being unworthy of possessing the Mixed Element Dao Heart.

Throughout the world, there were many who had the chance to realize the Mixed Element state. Qingcang, the Immortal Sword, Jianmu, the former himself, and the next Buddha Ancestor.

Not long ago, the Heavenly Saint named each one capable of achieving the Mixed Element state, a commendation but also a warning. Gu Wen was among them, he too was a Little Saint.

Little Saints were exceedingly rare, yet not impossible to become, and since the beginning of the cosmos, only the cosmos itself bore this title.

Delving into Gu Wen’s state of mind, the True Monk realized his mistake.

Gu Wen had already reached Mixed Element, but had regrettably fallen to the heart of a mortal.

Losing his Position, the aspiration that once lifted him high weighed down upon him, the filth left in his heart by the Great Demon, turned the True Monk completely demonic.

"All you want is to spend your lifetime with a mortal woman, how could that be compared to my grand aspiration! How am I inferior to you, a common man!"

Gu Wen listened quietly, without showing anger, emotionless, just calmly watching as the old monk descended deeper into madness.

What he said was not wrong, this heart-refining experience also made him realize that fact. No matter how vast the power of the saint, it does not cleanse the dust at the bottom of one’s heart.

Once the old monk’s venting ceased, Gu Wen slowly spoke, "When I met her, I was but a common man, and I still am now."

Mortal, cultivator, Immortal, saint.

Gu Wen had gone through each stage, yet not for too long. Compared to other great powers whose ages spanned tens of thousands of years, his one thousand years made him too young.

Even among cultivators, a great power of one thousand years did not show signs of old age.

The old monk fell silent, not knowing how to respond.

Cultivators do not wish to admit they are mortals, yet a saint does.

Gu Wen placed his palm on the top of the monk’s skull and said,

"You should be thankful that I am but a common man. If you can cure this nun behind me now, ensuring she has no future worries, I will spare your life."

Anyone else would see the cause and effect that could arise thousands of years later, would worry about the old monk ascending as a saint again and causing greater trouble.

But Gu Wen only knew that he temporarily had only the Immortal Position as a means to give to Jade Sword Buddha.

The old monk shook his head, "She was not a person to begin with, possessing neither the three souls nor the seven spirits, and will soon dissipate. You could bestow unto her the Heavenly Saint’s Immortal Position, and through the Heavenly Saint’s method, preserve herself. If she could cultivate into an Immortal in the future, she might complete what she lacks."

"However, from ancient times to the present, those who have enjoyed the heavenly fortune from an Immortal Position have almost never cultivated into Immortals."

Hearing this, Gu Wen moved his hand away.

Suddenly, the broken pieces of the Buddha statue behind him began to melt and condensed into a new Buddha statue.

In the infinite offerings, a new Buddha Ancestor was being nurtured.

It could be the grand aspiration left behind by a high monk from the long river of time or one of the thirty-six saintly monks of old, or possibly, purely a new being.

The Dao does not perish, the saint does not die.

"Amitabha Buddha, having entered the demonic, why stay in the world?"

The Buddha statue struck down with a palm, and gold light welled around Gu Wen, his large hand punching through and shattering the Buddha’s palm.

One touch was enough to know, the other did not possess a saint’s body, at least not now.

The old monk gave a cold laugh, "Without True, there’s Tathagata, without Tathagata there’s coming like True. The Buddhist Sect never lacks a Venerable, nor does it permit the existence of two."

"Thus, as long as the Buddhist Sect remains, the Buddhist Dao not dispersed, I shall return."

"Then I wish the master good fortune."

Gu Wen struck down with his palm, he could abstain from killing, but he could not let others snatch.

If True Monk intended to maintain his dignity with suicide, then Gu Wen would have been forced to act, because killing oneself is also snatching oneself.

"You truly are a common man, with such a state of mind, you will never achieve the great Dao."

The old monk completely lost his life force; strands of Daoist charm dissipated between heaven and earth, leaving no trace of vitality.

But he had not perished in the Dao; there was still a possibility of rebirth. This was the meaning of an Immortal’s transcendence, and it also marked the greatest difference from a mortal.

Transcendent of the cosmos, one need not be constrained by life and death. The problem with Yu Hua was that she was a mortal.

At this moment, the Buddha statue stood silent, obscure and devoid of light.

Gu Wen could see the newly born Buddha Ancestor’s fear, glanced at the blood scripture on the floor, turned around to carry the unconscious Chi Yu Zi, and led the dazed Jade Sword Buddha away.

By now, True Temple’s exterior had already gathered onlookers from all quarters.

But alas, their cultivation was too low, they were not even Immortals, unable to even cross the threshold of the main hall, let alone understand the strife within.

All they could see was the aftermath of the duel, which scared them into frantic flight.

As Gu Wen stepped out of the temple, someone immediately exclaimed, "True Martial Demon Sweeping Heavenly Venerate," and he couldn’t help but tug at the corner of his mouth.

A bout of drunkenness had swapped their identities.

Although identity meant nothing to Gu Wen and he no longer needed it to sustain himself, he still wanted to discard the title of Yuqing Heavenly Venerate to avoid being dragged back by his master to toil away.

Gu Wen’s brief experience with politics months earlier had led him to deeply understand the difference between doing business and holding office. If one did not take pleasure in the power and authority that came with the position, then occupying it was pure torment.

First, one could not travel freely, second, it was not about indulging in drink and pleasure, and third, there was work to be done.

The Venerable’s duty was to approve with a stamp, yet each stamp required careful consideration. A stamp on the official papers in the Jade Emperor Palace might signify hundreds of thousands of Spirit Stones, affecting countless people.

Gu Wen would rather sell pancakes at the foot of the Mystical Sect’s mountain than sit in the Jade Palace.

"Please, True Martial Venerable, halt."

A Bodhisattva, seated on a lotus dais, descended and blocked their way, first glancing at Chi Yu Zi, whose eyes were tightly shut, and then at the Jade Sword Buddha.

"The Jade Sword Buddha is the reincarnation of the Buddha Ancestor and must not leave the True Temple."

As the words ended, the Jade Sword Buddha took a step forward, but Gu Wen had already lifted his hand and swept it down. A streak of golden light flashed, and the Bodhisattva, along with the lotus dais beneath him, was cleaved in two, blood splattering Sumeru Mountain.

Silence enveloped all sides.

How was this even more ruthless than before?

At the Buddha Meeting, Chi Yu Zi beat others but did not kill; now Gu Wen killed on sight.

The Jade Sword Buddha looked up slightly at Gu Wen and watched quietly, without saying a word.

Gu Wen asked, "Will you still be a monk in the future? Have you ever considered leaving Buddhism for Daoism?"

Without hesitation, the Jade Sword Buddha shook his head, "This little monk has always been and will naturally continue to be a monk."

"Then will you stay at Sumeru Mountain?"

"With the Great Demon at large, this little monk bears the inescapable responsibility to search the lands and subdue it."

"Then, are you willing to come down the mountain with me?"

Gu Wen extended his right hand, and the Jade Sword Buddha grasped it without the slightest hesitation, her eyes as clear as glass.

Before all eyes, she nodded in agreement.

The reincarnated body of the Buddha Ancestor, the former inheritor of the Buddhist Sect, was about to be led astray by a Daoist?

"This is outrageous!"

With a cry of anger, an elder Bodhisattva, half-naked above the waist, wearing a Kasaya, and holding a pagoda, stepped out from the temple, treading on Buddha light.

A realm of the Buddha Country unfolded above his head.

"True Martial Venerable, the elders have seen that the body of the Venerable precludes you from taking action. But now, after you have repeatedly injured and killed our Buddhist Bodhisattvas, even if Qingcang Immortal himself were here, the elders would have you kneel before the seat of the Buddha Ancestor!"

Sumeru Mountain, as a Buddhist holy land with an ancient lineage, was no short of reclusive old eccentrics. Many of them shunned worldly affairs, devoted solely to seeking enlightenment, often only recognized after they had passed on their legacies.

At the Buddha Meeting, Chi Yu Zi exhibited strength near that of an Immortal; however, that did not mean there was no one on Sumeru Mountain who could match her.

Because she refrained from killing, the old eccentrics naturally did not come forth. But now, not only was there an attempt to blatantly take away the reincarnation of the Buddha Ancestor, but also a Bodhisattva had been killed.

This Bodhisattva had been summoned by him, thus could be considered one of his disciples.

It was unthinkable that he would be killed outright by Gu Wen, and now the Buddhist inheritor was to be openly taken away.

A man may endure insults, but Lord Buddha could not.

Someone exclaimed, "The pure land of Buddha Country, this is the visage of Buddha, no less impressive than a Demi Immortal of the Mystical Sect."

"Which Bodhisattva is this, to possess such formidable might?"

"Joyful Zen, the Joyful Bodhisattva..."

With a flick of his finger, Gu Wen sent forth a beam of golden light, instantly penetrating the elder Bodhisattva’s brow.

The elder Bodhisattva perished.

The voice that just introduced this Bodhisattva had barely emerged when the speaker, still oblivious and rambling, said, "The Joyful Bodhisattva is said to have mastered the Dual Cultivation Skill of all three Buddhist, Taoist, and Demon sects, capable of governing over eight hundred pure Yangs in a day."

"And the method of the Bodhisattva is of utmost compassion, those who dual cultivate with it invariably see great advancements in cultivation. A True Monarch of the Daoist Sect once sought to break through to Mahayana by specifically seeking out the Bodhisattva for Dual Cultivation."

"Pity that this Bodhisattva only fancied male companions..."

As the surrounding silence deepened, the voice that had been booming and piercing, gradually weakened.

By now, the corpse of the elder Bodhisattva had only just tumbled down the steps, its blood flowing downward along the stairs.

He might have had the heart of a mortal, but his Saint’s Power was genuine.

Compared to Chi Yu Zi, Gu Wen was indeed much more ruthless. This had nothing to do with cultivation; at the Dragon Bridge, Gu Wen had already fostered an attitude of "those who block my path shall die."

Deals often failed to materialize, resulting in the physical disappearance of the competition.

A merchant who kept weapons ready at home was never a good person. And if someone died, why should it concern the Yuqing Heavenly Venerate when the blame could be placed on Chi Yu Zi?

"Kill less, granny doesn’t want to be beaten half to death by the Qingcang Immortal," Chi Yu Zi murmured groggily.

"One should take responsibility for one’s actions, granny. I was the one who harbored malicious thoughts first, and whatever you do, I accept. If you truly become a Demon and slaughter all beings, at least let me know in advance."

"And if I inform you, what will you do?"

"Of course, I will assist you with all my might."

"..."

Without turning back, Gu Wen spoke as he carried her, "A favor as slight as a drop of water should be returned with a spring. Yu Hua has given me a second chance at life; to save her, I would not hesitate to pay any price. But I will not slaughter all beings, for they owe me nothing."

True Temple said he dared not confront them; it was true that Gu Wen would not, for all beings owed him nothing.

"Do not refrain from doing good due to its insignificance; do not engage in evil because it seems insignificant."

"Cultivators, with their boundless capabilities, will handle what can be resolved."

"Heh, granny just loves this about you."

Chi Yu Zi’s drooping eyelids closed, and she fainted once again.

The Jade Sword Buddha asked, "Murder is wrong, why not slay demons and evil spirits instead?"