The Strongest Mythical Emperor
Chapter 737: The Old Monk and the Demon

Chapter 737: Chapter 737: The Old Monk and the Demon

"Take good care of yourselves. Next time, I hope to see a strong Nether King Palace!"

Qin Jun said with a smile to everyone, and after finishing his words, he entered the palanquin.

All the high officials and soldiers knelt down and shouted in unison, "We bid His Majesty farewell!"

Nine dragons roared, then with a flick of their tails, they soared into the sky.

Bai Ze gathered rolling clouds of demon energy, and Hou Yi, Xiang Yu, along with fifty imperial guards, quickly leaped onto them.

The group flew away from King Yan City and disappeared into the skyline.

"Dealing with the Tathāgata of the West domain is no easy task; his reputation has been even more resounding of late." Li Si sighed with worry. Although they had witnessed the death of the demon ancestor before their very eyes, they had also been defeated by the Tathāgata in the past.

With his high ranking on the Dominance Leaderboard, could Qin Jun and the others truly defeat the Tathāgata?

Yang Jian snorted coldly, "Along the way, when has His Majesty ever been defeated?"

At these words, people looked at each other, falling into a silent mutual understanding.

...

The sun set in the west.

Above the endless Gobi Desert, two figures slowly made their way forward.

The one in the lead was an old monk with a kind face and compassionate eyes. His cassock was somewhat worn, and as he walked, he continuously murmured sutras.

Following him was a prisoner in white, his face concealed by an iron mask, leaving his appearance a mystery. The prisoner’s garments were stained with blood, and his hands and feet had brown fur—a clear sign he was not human.

A demon capable of taking on human form, a demon king.

"The sea of Buddhism is boundless; turning back is the shore. Put down the butcher’s knife and instantly become a Buddha. The Buddha crosses over all under heaven and washes away sins."

The old monk chanted while shaking his head, clutching an iron chain in his hand, the other end attached to the shackles of the demon king behind him.

A man and a demon walked towards the setting sun at the end of the desert, a desolate scene with a cold wind whistling by.

The demon king gave no response, walking listlessly like a puppet.

"There’s no need for such despair. This journey to Leiyin Buddha Temple is a stroke of fate for you. The Tathāgata has taken quite an interest in you," the old monk said with a smile, a glint of sharpness in his murky eyes. When the Tathāgata was mentioned, his aura changed completely.

"Kill or flay me, as you wish. But if I break these shackles, I will slaughter every Buddhist in your Western Domain!" the demon king finally spoke, his voice hoarse and skin-crawling.

Facing the demon king’s threat, the old monk remained unfazed and smiled, "Although you possess the powers of a Daluo Golden Immortal, against the Tathāgata, you couldn’t even withstand a single palm strike from him!"

The demon king fell silent, not wishing to argue with the old monk.

"If you follow this old monk to Leiyin Buddha Temple, perhaps the Tathāgata will no longer target the Great Qin Heavenly Court," the old monk said kindly. At these words, the demon king’s body trembled, clearly disturbed.

Their shadows elongated in the sunset, creating an illusory feeling of a journey of no return.

...

Time flew by, and ten days passed in a hurry.

Qin Jun and his companions had reached the borderlands of the realm under the Nether King Palace. Further ahead lay the territories of the God Temple.

In those ten days of travel, with stops and starts, they encountered no upheavals.

Along the way, they did hear quite a bit about the Taoist Randeng.

This troublemaker had left the Western Domain to arrive at the Nether King Palace, acting as he pleased without any restraint, causing significant frustration for the Nether King Palace.

Fortunately, it seemed that Randeng wasn’t too interested in the land of the Nether King Palace, as he continued northward, his whereabouts unknown.

Night fell.

"Your Majesty, shall we go straight to the Western Domain?"

Atop the hill, Qin Jun and others were sitting around a fire in a circle. Xiang Yu, with a twist of his neck, asked a question. After breaking through to the Daluo Immortal Realm, his loyalty had decreased significantly. Fortunately, after several fights with Hou Yi over this period, which left him with no choice but to submit, combined with a few words from Qin Jun, his loyalty finally improved.

Bai Ze shook his head and said, "Tathāgata is very strong. The fact that he could injure Randeng shows that his cultivation is not simple."

She, who possessed memories from her past life, was well aware of Randeng’s level of cultivation.

Xiang Yu did not recognize Randeng, but he knew Bai Ze was extraordinary, capable of deducing the past and the future, and deeply trusted by Qin Jun.

"I am going to the Western Region for one of my consorts. I must take her to the Western Region, and later on, I will recruit two more Daluo Immortals. Only then will we be confident!" Qin Jun said softly while gazing at the fire.

Two Daluo Immortals?

Hou Yi, Bai Ze, and Xiang Yu all took a sharp breath.

The Double-pupil Bird landed on Qin Jun’s shoulder and playfully rubbed his face with its beak.

Xiang Yu stared at the Double-pupil Bird, his face showing a mix of complex emotions. He took pride in his Innate Dual Pupils, and the Double-pupil Bird, with two pupils in each of its eyes, had a similar uncanny resemblance, which irritated him. It was vexing to find a resemblance with a bird.

"Bai Ze, you have great potential. Once my cultivation is higher, I will restore you to the height of your past life," Qin Jun suddenly turned his head and said to Bai Ze with a smile.

Bai Ze was stunned momentarily and couldn’t help but ask, "Really?"

She felt quite frustrated. Although famous for her wisdom, she was also a demon saint with a cultivation only higher than Hou Yi’s, not lower. Now, with just the cultivation of the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm, she always had a knot in her heart.

However, reaching her level, it was extremely time-consuming to make any further progress.

Qin Jun smiled mysteriously and said no more.

Yet Bai Ze kept gazing at him intently, as if she couldn’t wait to strip off his clothes.

...

Another five days passed by in a flash.

Qin Jun and his party arrived at the border of the Western Region, ready to go around it to enter the Southern Domain.

At this moment, flying over the boundless Gobi, Qin Jun, who was meditating, suddenly heard a thunderous boom from outside the palanquin. He opened his eyes and asked, "What’s going on?"

"Ahead, someone is crossing tribulation. The one undergoing tribulation is a young monk, and there’s also a group of old monks forming a protective formation around him."

Bai Ze’s voice came in, her tone flat, clearly not taking the group of monks seriously.

Crossing tribulation?

Qin Jun immediately lost interest and said no more.

Meanwhile, ten miles away, rolling thunder clouds surged.

A young monk floated in midair, his clothing in tatters. His body seemed to be plated with gold, gleaming with a chilling golden light. He suddenly raised his head, and his eyes shot out two dazzling beams of light.

If Qin Jun were there, he would have recognized his identity – it was Xuan Qing!

The number one talent of the Western Region, who, during the Heavenly Convention, was used by Qin Jun with the poison from the Green Evil Python Dragon, causing him to have an encounter with a Barbarian Pig...

Ahem, that memory had become a nightmare in Xuan Qing’s heart; he vowed to seek revenge. Thus, after returning, he cultivated diligently and, with Tathāgata’s help, his cultivation soared, and now he was on the brink of breaking through the True Immortal Realm.

Below him were eight monks, all of the Golden Immortal Realm cultivation, who guarded Xuan Qing to prevent any accidents.

One by one, the heavenly thunders struck Xuan Qing, tempering his physique as he gritted his teeth and persisted.

The pain he endured at that moment was fueling the hatred in his heart.

"Not enough! Not enough! Far from enough!"

Xuan Qing looked up and roared wildly, seemingly unhinged.

The eight monks below exchanged glances. Was Xuan Qing becoming demonically possessed?

But they dared not speak up, for Xuan Qing was a young disciple favored by the Buddha. They had no right to criticize.

Meanwhile, Qin Jun, hearing his shout from the distant palanquin, opened his eyes again.

"This voice sounds so familiar..." Qin Jun muttered to himself, then commanded in a deep voice, "Go over and look!"

Though puzzled, Bai Ze outside the palanquin did not go against his wishes and immediately soared through the clouds towards Xuan Qing.