Young Noble Be Monster Slaying
Chapter 984: The Campaign

Chapter 984: The Campaign

 

"…" Daoist Yan felt speechless.

Looking at Di Nufeng's naive yet confident face, Daoist Yan nearly choked. After a brief silence, she finally said, "Probably not. It was the Noble Dharma who killed him."

"That old bastard, huh. I knew he wasn’t simple." Di Nufeng wasn’t surprised in the slightest. She nodded with a knowing look.

“That tree—the so-called Immortal Demon—was likely his doing as well,” Daoist Yan added, gesturing toward the towering silhouette in the distance. “He has already risen to true power.”

The Immortal Demon was from an old legend that had circulated for generations among cultivators.

It was said that no human could live beyond a thousand years, not even a Hallowed One. That was the limit this world placed on the lifespan of all living beings.

But if someone surpassed that limit and lived over a thousand years, it meant that they had become a demon. They would be called an Immortal Demon.

It was said that nearly ten thousand years ago, a similar colossal tree had appeared in the human world, though it probably wasn’t as tall as this one. The emperor of a certain dynasty at the time had tremendous cultivation and a long lifespan. He lived for more than a thousand years.

However, he was so addicted to killing. Every so often, he would personally execute large numbers of prisoners. When there were no more criminals sentenced to death, he began ordering executions for minor offenses. In the end, he even started killing commoners at random.

In the end, that dynasty was overthrown. The old emperor was executed, and the great tree withered away.

Later, the people saw the tree as an eyesore, so they uprooted it and burned it. Back then, a rumor had spread that the emperor’s long life was the result of cultivating into an Immortal Demon.

But because so few throughout history had ever grasped the Great Dao of Longevity, no one knew the truth behind it.

That was, until today, when that sky-piercing tree suddenly appeared in the Northern Regions.

Daoist Yan continued, "We received news from the Buddhist Cloud Monastery that his true identity might be the Ancient Nameless Buddha, who ascended to the higher realm twenty thousand years ago and has now fallen back to this world. To reach the ninth realm through the Great Dao of Longevity, one must slaughter countless living beings...

"And just now, he single-handedly defeated Dhyana Master Dayu, who wielded the Dharma Lotus Platform, and Enlightened Jiuyi, who held the Divine Mirror of the Eight Trigrams, and reclaimed his ninth-realm body from above the firmament..."

Before Daoist Yan and Di Nufeng could finish reading all the messages, a summons arrived from the Boundless Palace, calling all high-ranking members of the Mount Shu Sect to an emergency meeting.

When they arrived, they saw that Venerable Wen Yuan's expression was just as grim.

Although the Mount Shu Sect had recently risen to prominence, the human world had grown far too chaotic. Demons, monsters, and malevolent spirits were wreaking havoc, and each one possessed terrifying power.

"We just received news from the Holy Mountain in the Northern Regions. The Noble Dharma intends to build a utopia, a pure land of universal harmony. He claims that humans, demons, and spirits are all welcome to join him in building this paradise in Mount Mang City. The Divine Phoenix King of the West Sea and Grand Ancestor Wuchao have already pledged their allegiance.

"Aside from the followers of the Holy Mountain, the humans will not be acting rashly for now. However, the demons and spirits have already begun gathering there in large numbers.

"His current strength is likely just below what Evil Ksitigarbha had at his peak. And with the Cosmic Ring and Chrono Wheel in his grasp, even if the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten united all their forces and unleashed every legendary artifact they had, they still might not be able to bring him down. The leaders of the immortal sects have resolved to launch a joint campaign against the Noble Dharma. He must be stopped before he achieves his goal.”

Venerable Wen Yuan spoke with a grave tone, relaying the decision made by the upper ranks of the immortal sects.

However, judging by his expression, he didn’t seem very hopeful about the campaign. They had already tried to hunt down the Noble Dharma before but failed. With his level of cultivation and a legendary artifact in hand, it was all too easy for him to slip away.

Di Nufeng slammed the table and exclaimed, "This is clearly a scam! Didn't you just say the Great Dao of Longevity requires mass slaughter? He's obviously luring people there so he can kill them!"

She didn’t even need to think. A simple eyeroll was enough for her to figure out what kind of scheme a villain like that was planning.

"We can’t save those who insist on going," Venerable Wen Yuan said, shaking his head. "What matters most right now is ensuring Noble Baize’s safety."

He looked up at Baize and said, "According to intelligence from Mount Mang City, the Noble Dharma’s next target is still the Mount Shu Sect. The one he wants to eliminate is you, Noble Baize."

"Then I’ll just have to fight him," Baize said. "In the land of the nine provinces and four seas, is there any place that can truly be called safe? Only by eliminating that devil can peace be restored."

"Obviously, we’ll launch the campaign, but we have to make sure those about to ascend are protected," Venerable Wen Yuan replied. "If you die, it’ll be even harder for us to stop him. There is one place that should be completely safe."

At that, Baize seemed to remember something and asked, "The Celestial Portal of the Nine Yin?"

…

At the Divine Ruins Monastery, Bai Wuxiang spoke slowly to Chu Liang. "While you were inside the Cauldron of the Great Dao, there has been a slight change to the circumstances in the human world."

"Oh?" Chu Liang quietly listened.

Bai Wuxiang gave a brief account of the Noble Dharma’s recent rise to power. The Noble Dharma had only spoken to Dhyana Master Dayu about his background at the Buddhist Cloud Monastery, but this was the era of the Circle of Immortal Friends. Furthermore, with the presence of the Eminent One Pushan, word spread quickly.

In a single night, the news swept through the cultivation world and quickly spread to every corner of the land, from the nine provinces to the four seas.

"Haha." Chu Liang set down his teacup and asked with a smile, "You’re calling this a slight change?"

"Calamities like this have happened before, caused by Evil God Jiuli, the Hallowed Mother of the South Sea, and the Demon God. Nothing worth making a fuss over," Bai Wuxiang said calmly. "But if he ascends and takes the Great Dao of Longevity with him, the world will lose all vitality. That is something the Divine Ruins Monastery cannot allow."

"Wouldn’t that be even better? You should make a move then," Chu Liang said. "Doesn’t the Divine Ruins Monastery have the ability to deal with ninth-realm cultivators? Surely suppressing the Noble Dharma would be no problem for you."

"As I’ve said before, unless he truly violates the Laws of Ascension, I cannot intervene," Bai Wuxiang replied. "That is the rule."

"Isn’t that a bit too rigid?" Chu Liang asked gently.

"There are other reasons, but it’s not something I can tell you clearly," Bai Wuxiang said, smiling as he looked at Chu Liang. "If you’re willing to become the monastery guardian, I’ll tell you everything right away."

Chu Liang clapped his hands over his ears. "La la la, not listening today. You sound like a dumb turtle chanting away."

"…" Bai Wuxiang was speechless for a moment before saying, "Our deal remains unchanged. The only difference is that the target has changed from Evil Ksitigarbha to the Noble Dharma. It’s all the same. And since the Noble Dharma hasn’t fused with the ninth-realm body yet, he’s certainly weaker than Evil Ksitigarbha at full strength. The task should be even easier."

"Really?" Chu Liang asked doubtfully. "Deity Pan's Bone could at least restrain Evil Ksitigarbha. But the Noble Dharma is human..."

"It is the same," Bai Wuxiang replied as he placed the bone joint on the table. "He has absorbed too much lifeforce from violent deaths. His qi is filled with resentment and lingering grievances from countless souls. In essence, he has already become a demon. He is no different from an evil spirit."

Chu Liang picked up Deity Pan’s Bone and gazed at it.

This legendary artifact that he had lost. Now that he held it in his hands, he felt a strange sense of connection.

Now that he had become the master of the Great Dao of Creation, it felt as though he and the bone were breathing in unison. Could this be what others referred to as the resonance between a legendary artifact and a Great Dao? Only through such alignment could the artifact’s true power be fully unleashed.

"Don’t waste time. The sects in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten are about to launch a joint campaign against the Noble Dharma. If you move quickly, you can still support them with Deity Pan’s Bone," Bai Wuxiang said. "Without it, they’ll struggle to bring him down. Do not underestimate what he has become."

"Alright…" Chu Liang said and gave a firm nod. "I’ll go. But before I leave, I have one question."

"Speak," Bai Wuxiang replied.

"If I really manage to take down the Noble Dharma this time, could I keep Deity Pan’s Bone as a reward?" Chu Liang asked in a tone that seemed like he was testing the waters to see how far he could push.

Bai Wuxiang nearly rolled his eyes. He seemed to have been angered by how thick-skinned Chu Liang was. His chest rose and fell in suppressed exasperation before he finally spat out five words, "Don’t even think about it."